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Ethical Issues in Correctional Psychiatry in the United States

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Ethical Issues in Prison Psychiatry

Part of the book series: International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine ((LIME,volume 46))

Abstract

By their nature, prisons distort human interactions. They may be chaotic and violent places, but even well-run, orderly prisons are created to isolate, control, and stigmatize their inhabitants; at the same time, they are governed by legal and ethical obligations to provide humane conditions of confinement and care for serious medical needs of inmates who are completely dependent upon the institution for the basics of survival. The names of some governmental agencies charged with imprisonment include the words “corrections” or “rehabilitation” signifying at least an aspiration for a mission beyond custody and control. A tension, sometimes destructive and sometimes creative, results when the competing normative values associated with these missions collide. Some individuals handle this situation with remarkable professionalism and compassion; some surrender to less admirable influences. This reflects more than variation in individual temperament; individual reactions to employment in corrections is strongly influenced by the expectations and examples created by those charged with system oversight as well as the characteristics of the setting itself. (See, e.g., Haney et al. 1973). The same practice or behavior which shocks the conscience when seen for the first time or from afar can come to appear chillingly pedestrian with long-term exposure. The objective perspective which accompanies outside oversight of correctional practice, whether via court-imposed monitoring, regulatory oversight, or well-developed systems of quality improvement which utilize the resources of professionals providing direct care across disciplines but also rely on analysis of aggregate data, is an important ethical counterweight to this natural tendency toward desensitization. Professional and visible frontline supervision which provides a clear sense of organizational mission and vision is critical for maintaining standards of conduct consistent with ethical guidelines.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Beldock Levine and Hoffman LLP, 99 Park Avenue 16th Floor, New York, NY, 10016, USA

    Henry A. Dlugacz

  2. New York University Medical School, 1 Fifth Avenue, Suite 1BB, New York, NY, 10003, USA

    Julie Y. Low

  3. Taylor and Company Law Offices, LLP, One Ferry Building, Suite 355, San Francisco, CA, 94111, USA

    Christopher Wimmer

  4. Van Der Hout, Brigagliano and Nightingale LLP, 180 Sutter St., 5th Floor, San Francisco, CA, 94104, USA

    Lisa Knox

Authors
  1. Henry A. Dlugacz
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  2. Julie Y. Low
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  3. Christopher Wimmer
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  4. Lisa Knox
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Henry A. Dlugacz .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Forensic Psychiatry Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Norbert Konrad

  2. Section of Forensic Psychiatry, Division, University of Nottingham and Rampton Hos, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Birgit Völlm

  3. University of Montreal Fac. Medicine, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    David N. Weisstub

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Dlugacz, H.A., Low, J.Y., Wimmer, C., Knox, L. (2013). Ethical Issues in Correctional Psychiatry in the United States. In: Konrad, N., Völlm, B., Weisstub, D. (eds) Ethical Issues in Prison Psychiatry. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, vol 46. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0086-4_3

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0086-4_3

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