With the current economic woes, governments are looking at ways to trim costs. The burgeoning correctional system is one place being reviewed. Upwards of 25% of a state’s budget may be allocated to this concern. However, it is unlikely that much can be spared from correctional healthcare budgets. Costs have been escalating for many reasons, not a small one is the…
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Legal History of Correctional Nursing – Part II
Two terms which guide correctional healthcare emerged from case law surrounding the Estelle v GambleSupreme Court ruling. The ruling cited a “deliberate indifference to serious medical need” as a breach of the 8th Amendment barring cruel and unusual punishment. These terms have guided correctional healthcare and the practice of correctional nursing. Once again, I refer heavily to William J. Rold’s…
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Legal History of Correctional Nursing – Part I
Where were you in November, 1976? Maybe not even born yet…but probably not thinking about healthcare in prisons and jails. However, November, 1976 could be deemed the official start of the Legal History of Correctional Nursing. This is the date of the landmark Estelle v GambleSupreme Court decision which established heathcare as a constitutional right for US inmates based on…
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