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Examining Consent Decrees: How Prisons Can Get A Clean Bill of Health

NCJ Number
118626
Journal
Corrections Today Volume: 51 Issue: 4 Dated: (July 1989) Pages: 42-44
Author(s)
M Prade; R Goff
Date Published
1989
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This article examines problems encountered by prisons in delivering inmate health services, the legal issues underlying court-ordered improvements, and actions to comply with a consent decree.
Abstract
After defining a consent decree, the authors examine the low priority given to inmate medical services in State budgets and by the public. They emphasize that inmates often enter prison with more health problems than other people and develop additional problems from incarceration. When a correctional facility ignores inmates' medical needs, lawsuits and a consent decree may result. The article addresses legal responsibilities of corrections officials regarding inmate health care, steps to ensure compliance with a consent decree, and standards of medical treatment published by the American Correctional Association and the National Committee on Correctional Health Care. A table lists areas of examination under consent decrees.