The text is intended as a guide for those who are responsible for the design, management, and operation of correctional systems and institutions and also offers information for use by elected officials, students of criminal justice programs, and contractual suppliers of correctional health care services. The discussion begins with an analysis of changes in health care in relation to managed care, cost-containment strategies, new technologies, new forms of illness, and increased numbers of the aging and chronically ill. Subsequent chapters examine organizational issues in terms of the similarities and differences between correctional institutions and medical facilities, the advantages and disadvantages of privatization of health care services, and principles that inform and guide decisions about appropriate levels of inmate health care. Further chapters focus on strategies for preventing contagion from diseases such as AIDS and tuberculosis, ensuring access to health care, the special issues relating to elderly inmates, women's health issues, and mental health issues and services. Other chapters discuss the role of physician assistance and advanced practice nurses, quality assurance, and issues in health professional ethics. Tables, figures, footnotes, index, and approximately 200 references