What is considered a serious medical need, how prison authorities make this determination?
In a correctional facility, prisoners have different health related issues. Therefore, it is the responsibility of the jail authorities to determine the validity of the numerous health cases as some prisoners always fake being sick. A prisoner is considered to have a severe medical need if he or she has been diagnosed by a physician (Scott, 2010). The physician should carry out tests on the prisoner to determine if the prisoner is indeed sick. In the case a prisoner feels ill; the prisoner should report to the prison authority this medical condition. Besides, the prison authorities should act promptly to such complaints and ensures that the prisoner is attended to by a qualified medical practitioner. The problem always arises when the prisoner does not get medical attention in time. Such scenarios occur due to lateness in reporting of the prisoners’ condition or issues to do with delays of medical practitioners. However, a doctor will always do the best he can to treat the prisoner unnecessary accusations of lateness.
Another instance of a serious medical need relates to a medical situation which is easily identifiable. An example of before-mentioned a scenario is when a prisoner is unconscious and unresponsive. In this situation, the prisoner might have been beaten by somebody or might be suffering from illnesses such as heart attack (Scott, 2010). Prison authorities must determine if an inmate is unconscious when found unconscious during random checks. Such a prisoner should receive urgent medical attention to help save his life. Indeed, the authority has the capability to assess the magnitude of pain based on the physical injuries that prisoner has sustained. Such incidences should be treated with much urgency by the prison authorities to relieve the prisoner from pain.
What factors must be considered when treating inmates for medical conditions?
Correctional facilities should make sure that sick prisoners are attended to by a qualified healthcare professional, and in the medical set-up that is efficiently designed to treat the specific illness. This intervention is critical as it reduces cases of misdiagnosis that might cause serious harm to a prisoner’s and even result in death. Also, health services should be based on doctor’s judgment, not non-medical considerations such as cost and convenience.
Special medical procedures should also apply to prisoners in case they are in need of such services. Prisoners who are considered special include; female, mentally or physically disable, and juvenile prisoners (Siegel & Worrall, 2015). However, all inmates are entitled to quality medical services irrespective of the size of the correctional facility or the duration of the prisoner’s incarceration. Moreover, no prisoner should be charged fees for necessary healthcare.
Provide 2 examples of prisoner treatment. Include 1 successful treatment and 1 unsuccessful treatment about prisoner safety
An example of a successful prison treatment is a scenario where prisoners are exposed to varied range of medications and physical treatments. Prison-based drug treatment is a successful case of medical intervention that has worked in most treatments. Through established medical facilities, various cases of medical needs among prisoners have been leveraged, with a surety of proper attention to such needs. Oral medications have significantly worked in treating common illnesses that are common in most prisons. On the other hand, certain treatment has proven futile in the prisons, and this has only triggered discordance and spelled doom in an attempt to offer medical assistance to prisoners. Cases of severe injuries that require critical surgical interventions have unfortunately resulted in the loss of lives since correctional facilities such as medical equipment. Thus, severe injuries arising out of commotions among inmates have in most cases resulted in fatalities.
References
Scott, C. L. (2010). Handbook of correctional mental health. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Pub.
Siegel, L. J., & Worrall, J. L. (2015). Essentials of criminal justice.
