title: Public health implications of substandard correctional health care.
abstract: US citizens face a growing threat of contracting communicable diseases owing to the high recidivism rate in state and federal prisons, poor screening and treatment of prisoners, and inferior follow-up health care upon their release. Insufficient education about communicable diseases--for prisoners and citizens alike--and other problems, such as prejudice against prisoners, escalating costs, and an unreliable correctional health care delivery system for inmates, all contribute to a public health problem that requires careful examination and correction for the protection of everyone involved.
authors.affiliation: St. Joseph's College of Maine, Standish, ME, USA. zulficar47@hotmail.com
authors.forename: Zulficar Gregory
authors.initials: ZG
authors.lastname: Restum
mesh_terms: D000359:Aftercare / Q000592:standards; D002961:Civil Rights / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D003140:Communicable Disease Control / Q000592:standards; D003141:Communicable Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology; D003441:Crowding; D003695:Delivery of Health Care / Q000941:ethics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006801:Humans; D017053:Infection Control / Q000592:standards; D008403:Mass Screening / Q000592:standards; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000592:standards; D028701:Patient Rights / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence; D011287:Prejudice; D011329:Prisoners / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011634:Public Health / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000592:standards*; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology