Pandemic inspires push to shrink jails, prisons

Infection control in jails and prisons.

At the end of 2005, approximately 7 million people (or 1 of every 33 American adults) were either in jail, in prison, or on parole. Compared with the general public, newly incarcerated inmates have an increased prevalence of human immunodeficiency virus infection, hepatitis B virus infection, hepatitis C virus infection, syphilis, gonorrhea, chlamydia, and Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection. ...

Drug abuse treatment in prisons and jails.

Acknowledging the fact that the criminal justice system is currently awash with drug abusers and that prison drug abuse treatment has had a varied history in the United States, this article explores possible directions for the future of drug abuse treatment in prisons and jails. The current status of drug abuse treatment is reviewed, and selected treatment approaches are high-lighted. In additi...

What is Wrong with American Prisons and Jails

Drug Abuse Treatment in Prisons and Jails, 118

The shift of psychiatric inpatient care from hospitals to jails and prisons.

Far-reaching structural changes have been made in the mental health system. Many severely mentally ill persons who come to the attention of law enforcement now receive their inpatient treatment in jails and prisons, at least in part, because of a dramatic reduction of psychiatric inpatient beds. While more high-quality community treatment, such as intensive case management and assertive communi...