Psychiatry in the federal correctional system in Canada

The unique challenges of the correctional healthcare environment are well-documented. Access to community-equivalent care, voluntary informed consent of offenders with mental disorder, violence risk, suicide risk, medication misuse, and clinical seclusion, confinement and segregation are just a few of the challenges faced by correctional psychiatric services. This paper shares experiences for dealing with the ongoing challenges for psychiatrists working in the field. It provides an overview of the current state of mental healthcare in the federal correctional system in Canada, the legislative framework and initiatives aimed at addressing the healthcare needs of federal inmates.

Corruption and Healthcare Delivery: Towards a Progressive Intervention in Nigerian Correctional Centres

Corruption is a complex and multifaceted challenge of global concern. The correctional setting in Nigeria is not exempted from the more general context of this issue. Nigeria has a poorly structured service for correctional healthcare system driven by a collection of socioeconomic and legal factors especially corruption. One of the pressing challenges in Nigerian public health is to provide services to those who need them the most, particularly those behind bars and therefore hard to reach. Yet, it remains obvious that, a significant majority of those with health problems are incarcerated in the correctional centers of Nigeria. This study which is anchored on Economic Theory of Corruption examined corrupt practices associated with healthcare delivery in Kano Central and Goron Dutse Correctional Centers. The study utilized quantitative and qualitative methods in eliciting data from convicted and awaiting trial inmates and healthcare providers. Thus, a total of 350 inmates were sampled across convicts and awaiting trial inmates through the simple random sampling technique using Wiseman’s 1999 table of sample size. In addition, two respondents (healthcare officials) were purposively sampled for in-depth interview. The findings revealed some level of negation especially as it concerns referrals and the inmates’ treatment charges outside the correctional setting. The study recommends the need for complete overhaul of the correctional healthcare delivery system in line with recommended global best practices.

Human rights and correctional health policy: a view from Europe

Purpose Correctional healthcare should promote the protection of human rights. The purpose of this paper is to bring a discussion of human rights into debates on how such policy should be best organized. Design/methodology/approach The paper achieves its aim by providing an analysis of European prison law and policy in the area of prison health, through assessing decisions of the European Court of Human Rights, as well as policies created by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture. Findings The paper describes the position of the European Court of Human Rights on the topics of access to healthcare, ill health and release from prison, mental illness in prison, and the duty to provide rehabilitative programming for those seeking to reduce their level of “risk.” It also argues that human rights law can be a source of practical reform, and that legal frameworks have much to offer healthcare leaders seeking to uphold the dignity of those in their care. Originality/value This paper will provide a rare example of the engagement of human rights law with correctional health policy. It provides practical recommendations arising out of an analysis of European human rights law in the area of prisons.