Nursing In Prison

"Essentials of Correctional Nursing is the first new and comprehensive text about this growing field to bepublished in the last decade. Fortunately, the editors have done a great job in all respects...This book should be required reading for all medical practitioners and administrators working in jails or prisons. It certainly belongs on the shelf of every nurse, physician, ancillary healthcare professional and corrections administrator."--Corhealth (The Newsletter of the American Correctional Health Services Association) "I highly recommend Essentials of Correctional Nursing, by Lorry Schoenly, PhD, RN, CCHP-RN andCatherine M. Knox, MN, RN, CCHP-RN, editors. This long-awaited book, dedicated to the professionalspecialty of correctional nursing, is not just a ìgood read,î it is one of ìthose booksî that stays on your desk and may never make it to the bookshelf."--American Jails "Correctional nursing has minimal published texts to support, educate, and provide ongoing bestpractices in this specialty. Schoenly and Knox have successfully met those needs with Essentialsof Correctional Nursing."--Journal of Correctional Health Care Nurses have been described as the backbone of correctional health care. Yet the complex challenges of caring for this disenfranchised population are many. Ethical dilemmas around issues of patient privacy and self-determination abound, and the ability to adhere to the central tenet of nursing, the concept of caring, is often compromised. Essentials of Correctional Nursing supports correctional nurses by providing a comprehensive body of current, evidence-based knowledge about the best practices to deliver optimal nursing care to this population. It describes how nurses can apply their knowledge and skills to assess the full range of health conditions presented by incarcerated individuals and determine the urgency and priority of requisite care. The book describes the unique health needs and corresponding care for juveniles, women, and individuals at the end of life. Chapters are devoted to nursing care for patients with chronic disease, infectious disease, mental illness, or pain, or who are in withdrawal from drugs or alcohol. Chapters addressing health screening, medical emergencies, sick call, and dental care describe how nurses identify, respond to, and manage these health care concerns in the correctional setting. The Essentials of Correctional Nursing was written and reviewed by experienced correctional nurses with thousands of hours of experience. American Nurses Association standards are woven throughout the text, which provide the information needed by nurses studying for certification exams in correctional nursing. The text will also be of value to nurses working in such settings as emergency departments, specialty clinics, hospitals, psychiatric treatment units, community health clinics, substance abuse treatment programs, and long-term care settings, where they may encounter patients who are currently or have previously been incarcerated. Key Features: Addresses legal and ethical issues surrounding correctional nursing Covers common inmate-patient health care concerns and diseases Discusses the unique health needs of juveniles, women, and individuals at the end of life Describes how nurses can safely navigate the correctional environment to create a therapeutic alliance with patients Provides information about health screening, medical emergencies, sick call, and dental care Serves as a core resource in the preparation for correctional nursing certification exams

The benefit of having skilled nurses working in prisons has beennoted in a recent report from the Chief Inspector of Prisons (HomeOffice 1998). This report recommended that the organisation ofhealth care in prisons be made the responsibility of the NHS. This is the first book aimed specifically at nurses working inprisons. There is a specific set of skills needed to be a prisonnurse. The environment is radically different to other areas ofpractice and the nurse-patient relationship and its boundaries areof paramount importance This book is written by nursing experts in this field andincludes chapters on women's health, ethnic and cultural issues,educational demands, the legal and political settings, prisonculture, and suicide.

Have you ever thought about working behind bars? For many nurses, providing health care in a jail or prison is not even a consideration when deciding on a career direction. In fact, many practicing in the criminal justice system consider themselves to be 'accidental' correctional nurses. Must nurses have little contact with the criminal justice system in nursing school and so are unlikely to choose the specialty. In fact, the general public would rather not think about our patient population. Prisons are often located in out-of-the-way places and the patient population is invisible to most people. Yet over two million Americans are currently behind bars. That is a lot of people in need of health care. And, at least 95% of prisoners will eventually be released so correctional health care affects public health in a big way. It takes a special person to practice nursing. Nurses must jump into the lives of their patients at a rough point. Illness, injury, and suffering can be ugly, intense, and deeply painful. We deal with body fluids, needles, gaping wounds, and heart-wrenching loss and must take it all in stride. It takes a special nurse to practice correctional nursing. The criminal justice system is an unlikely health care environment and prisoners are a unique patient population. Here, illness, injury, and suffering are treated in the midst of heightened security, reduced resources, and isolation. Yet many nurses find their calling in this unusual health care setting. The variety and nature of patient health needs and the opportunity to bring care and concern into a dehumanizing situation can be unexpected job satisfiers. Correctional nurses deal with a population of disadvantaged and vulnerable patients in a difficult time of life. Lack of prior health care contact means nurses can care for patients with unusual conditions along with the mundane ones. Correctional nursing has been described as 'real' nursing as incarcerated patients need health teaching, self-care skills, and chronic disease management. Correctional nursing practice is autonomous and self-directed. Is correctional nursing for you? Find out in the pages of this short book. Take a few hours to explore the many facets of correctional nursing practice. Look behind the curtain into this hidden practice setting. Discover this well-kept nursing secret and decide if you should consider becoming a correctional nurse. Over two million incarcerated patients need you!

This Textbook addresses a gap in the market, as currently there are no contemporary books exploring nursing within a prison setting. The main focus is the provision of healthcare in the Prison Service of England and Wales, although examples will also be drawn from the United States of America and Australia. Healthcare within prison settings has changed remarkably to address the needs of the changing prison populations. Thus, this text is clearly structured to support student nurses to understand the role of the nurse within prison and how the different specialities of nursing are applied in this unique setting. This textbook provides an overview of the context of prison, prisoners, and healthcare, as well as the experiences of nurse specialists who work in this field, including adult, mental health, and learning disability nurses across primary care, mental health services, substance misuse and end-of-life care. This volume is informative for both undergraduate student nurses and for qualified nurses and dispels many myths regarding working as a nurse in a prison. Each chapter is written by experts within the field, including nurses who have worked or still working within the prison setting. An important objective of this work is to inform student nurses of the possibility and opportunity of a nursing career within a prison setting.

At some point in their careers, most nurses encounter patients who are directly or indirectly involved with the criminal justice system – whether on hospital wards where prisoners are receiving treatment whilst guarded by prison officers, in schools where children have a parent in prison, or in a GP practice where patients have substance misuse issues. This thought-provoking book offers an understanding of the challenges and opportunities of caring for those in contact with criminal justice. Written by a range of experts in the field, Nursing in Criminal Justice Services takes the reader along the health and justice pathway, from initial patient contact with nurses in police stations, to nursing care in courts, through prison nursing services and finally into the work of the multi-disciplinary team in the community, where nurses work alongside the probation services. It also addresses some of the broader issues facing nurses working in criminal justice settings, including governance, legislation, professional development and the need to reflect on practice. Importantly, the authors challenge some frequently held beliefs about people in criminal justice settings, where staff have to manage the competing priorities of providing care and ensuring security. They show how, at its best, this type of nursing can provide safe, compassionate care for vulnerable and often frightened people, leading to hugely improved outcomes for offenders and ultimately society as a whole. Contents include: Recovery and redemption Nursing in police custody Forensic nurse examiners: Caring for victims of sexual assault Caring in court Prison nursing On the out: Supporting offenders in the community Custodial caritas: Beyond rhetoric in caring and custody Caring for vulnerable people: Intellectual disability in the criminal justice system Governance and quality in criminal justice health services Learning opportunities from inquests Professional attitudes and behaviours

The past decade has seen dramatic growth in every area of the prison enterprise. Yet our knowledge of the inner life of the prison remains limited. This book aims to redress this research gap by providing insight into various aspects of the daily life of prison staff. It provides a serious exploration of their work and, in doing so, will seek to draw attention to the variety, value and complexity of work within prisons. This book will provide practitioners, students and the general reader with a comprehensive and accessible guide to the contemporary issues and concerns facing prison staff.