County Jail or Psychiatric Hospital? Ethical Challenges in Correctional Mental Health Care

Approximately 20% of the roughly 2.5 million individuals incarcerated in the United States have a serious mental illness (SMI). As a result of their illnesses, these individuals are often more likely to commit a crime, end up incarcerated, and languish in correctional settings without appropriate tr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Qualitative health research 2018-05, Vol.28 (6), p.963-976
Main Authors: Segal, Andrea G., Frasso, Rosemary, Sisti, Dominic A.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Correctional institutions
Correctional personnel
Crime
Disease management
Employees
Ethical dilemmas
Ethics
Health technology assessment
Housing
Illnesses
Imprisonment
Jails
Medical ethics
Mental disorders
Mental health
Mental health care
Mental health services
Nurses
Prisoners
Prisons
Qualitative research
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Summary:Approximately 20% of the roughly 2.5 million individuals incarcerated in the United States have a serious mental illness (SMI). As a result of their illnesses, these individuals are often more likely to commit a crime, end up incarcerated, and languish in correctional settings without appropriate treatment. The objective of the present study was to investigate how correctional facility personnel reconcile the ethical challenges that arise when housing and treating individuals with SMI. Four focus groups and one group interview were conducted with employees (n = 24) including nurses, clinicians, correctional officers, administrators, and sergeants at a county jail in Pennsylvania. Results show that jail employees felt there are too many inmates with SMI in jail who would benefit from more comprehensive treatment elsewhere; however, given limited resources, employees felt they were doing the best they can. These findings can inform mental health management and policy in a correctional setting.
ISSN:1049-7323
1552-7557
DOI:10.1177/1049732318762370