Research Paper Example: United States Prisons are Neglecting the Health of Inmates

Prisons are supposed to help rehabilitate people so that they can be integrated back into society as lawful citizens, however; in the United States, the conditions of prisons make this much more difficult than it needs to be. Prisoners do need to be punished for their wrongdoings, but how much is too much? The Prison system is neglecting the overall health of inmates by not providing proper treatment or resources for mental illness and through unsanitary conditions and inadequate medical care for the prevention of diseases.

Because the population of the prison system is so fast, there must be many serious problems within prisons have there must be enough mental health resources for the inmates to use. However, this is not the case in most United States prisons. The Journal of Nursing discusses this matter through a study that was conducted on mental health screening of inmates and the care that followed after. According to the excerpt, “The study assessed the mental health screening process and medication continuity in a nationally representative sampling of 18,185 prisoners. The authors found that about one-fourth of responding inmates had received a mental health diagnosis during their lifetime, and about 18% of prisoners were taking medication when they started their incarceration. Of those only about half continued to receive medication during their incarceration” (Williams and Wilkins 15). These findings are very important because they share direct evidence through statistics, and help prove that those with mental illnesses are not being given proper resources to cope with their mental states. The text also talks about a direct connection between repeatedly incarcerated and mental illness, and left untreated, these mental illnesses can cause adverse effects on their lives after release. There is no doubt that immediate action needs to be taken to help inmates with mental health illnesses so that they can one day be successful members of society.

The United States prison systems are suffering from many outbreaks that could easily be prevented. Based on several different circumstances such as area, population, and overall boredom, inmates are more susceptible to being exposed to illnesses. In the text “Care to Prevent HIV Infection in Prisons…” the author discusses why HIV is being spread throughout prisoners and what can be done to prevent the spread. First, the text talks about why this happening, “The Joint United Nations Programme on HIV//AIDS (UNAIDS) notes that overcrowding, sexual tension, and an atmosphere and violence and fear contribute to the problem” (Jordan 320). Then, they discuss ways in which the spread of HIV and AIDS can be prevented such as, allowing protection methods to be readily available to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and making items like bleach available to sterilize shared needles that could otherwise cause an outbreak of HIV. All of these suggestions have proven effective in Canadian Prisons, and could easily be implemented into United States Prisons to prevent illnesses.

Individuals can enter correctional facilities with health problems, and incarceration only makes them worse. For starters, serious problems within prisons have negative effects on the physical health of inmates. The article “Impact of Incarceration on Health'' discusses these issues and shares the following information: “The nutritional value of meals is far from ideal because energy-dense (high-fat, high-calorie) foods are still common in prison meals. Smoking also remains a serious problem, despite the trend toward smoke-free correctional facilities. Poor ventilation, overcrowding, and stress may exacerbate chronic health conditions'' (National Research Council) These poor conditions can cause issues with breathing, nutrition, and the overall health of inmates. In addition, the use of isolation in prisons has adverse effects on inmates. According to the article Impact of Incarceration on Health “Case studies have also revealed widespread and serious reactions to segregation units, in which inmates are restricted to isolation cells for 23 hours a day. The restriction of movement and deprivation of human contact triggers psychological responses, ranging from anxiety and panic to hallucination”(National Research Council). This information from the studies is important because it brings light to the horrible effects that being isolated almost 24/7 has on a person. As shown, prisoners are living in extremely poor conditions that have a drastic effect on their health.

Incarceration can have substantial effects on the health of offenders, especially after release. The article “Enduring Stigma: The Long-Term Effects of Incarceration on Health” discusses a study by the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth. The findings of the study, which focused on direct and indirect effects of incarceration, found that serious problems within prisons can have can be drastic effects on health release from incarceration. For example, after a criminal record, obtaining employment is sustainably more difficult, as discussed in the article, “There is a good deal of evidence that contract with the criminal justice system affects employment and social support in two ways: inmates are unable to develop normal credentials while in prison, including work history, marketable skills, and social capital; incarceration itself constitutes a negative credential that is far more difficult to overcome than a skill deficit or time spent out of the labor force” (Schnittker and John 3).