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Organizational Structure of Prison Health Care

NCJ Number
127068
Author(s)
B J Anno
Date Published
1990
Length
11 pages
Annotation
During the summer and fall of 1989, a telephone survey was conducted to determine the organizational structure of health services within the 50 State departments of correction (DOC).
Abstract
Probably the most striking result of this survey was the diversity of the models in use. The models included: (1) the traditional model where services were operated together at the individual prisons; (2) a variation of the traditional where mental health care was separate; (3) the use of national for-profit firms, a mixed model in which some health care was provided by a contract firm and some was provided by the DOC; and (4) those operated solely by the DOC. Besides the diversity in organizational structure of correctional health services, there were other differences among the State systems, such as the placement of health services and the position to which the statewide health services director reported. The states also differed regarding the number of health staff working in the central office. 6 tables, 15 notes, and appendix