Running head: INCARCERATED POPULATIONS 1

Underserved Populations in Jails and Prisons

Bree A. Miller
Ferris State University

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Underserved Populations in Jails and Prisons
The United States contains many institutions where incarcerated people are held. Jails,
detention centers and prisons are some examples of such institutions. Incarcerated people are
usually deemed a threat to society or have committed crimes and have been caught (Harkness,
2012). The incarcerated population is a vulnerable population because they have lost their social
rights for committing a crime and at the same time are looked down upon due to their actions. It
is important when treating the inmates to keep a nonjudgmental attitude towards them and treat
everyone equally.
Personal Awareness
Growing up with a father in the police force I have learned that jails are crowded,
criminals are released considerably earlier than they should and that most criminals end up back
in jail after they leave. I have always thought that if you commit a crime you should do the time,
but that is not always the case. In my mind prisons are too cushy than they should be. If you
are a repeat offender and are sent to a maximum security prison, you should not get to watch
television or make money while there. I understand that everyone has their own rights, but when
you take someone elses life or commit a heinous crime, you should lose every right you once
had.
When envisioning what a typical inmate looks like, I think of an African-American male
with tattoos covering their body and being poorly educated. Yes this vision is a stereotype but it
is also what the majority of mug shots look like. Even though I have never been to jail or prison
I think that it is a place where people deserve to go and they should serve their time.
Demographics
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According to the Federal Bureau of Prisons (2014) in the United States there are 214,365
total federal inmates as of today. Ninety-three percent of inmates are male while seven percent
are female. Most range in age from twenty-six to thirty-one. The largest committed offence by
far is drug related followed by weapons and then immigration. In the United States whites make
up around sixty percent of the federal inmate population while African-Americans make up
around thirty-seven percent. Around twenty-five percent of inmates are sentenced to five to ten
years and twenty percent are sentenced to ten to fifteen years. Statistics for Michigan and local
incarcerations are difficult to decipher. The one statistic found was, in 2013 there were 43,704
people incarcerated in Michigan prisons (Heynes, 2014). This is above the state average for
prisoners of that year (Heynes, 2014). Also when comparing race overall, most inmates are
males who are African-American or Latino and average in age around thirty-seven (Harkness,
2012, p. 343). In the federal prisons Caucasians are the majority, but throughout all institutions
African-Americans and Latinos are the majority.
Incarceration rates have been on a steep incline in the United States for years now
(Manchester, 2014). This is causing overcrowding and health concerns that were not present in
the past. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics (2013) there has been a ninety-one percent
increase of suspects arrested and booked from 1994 to 2010. This is a substantial increase in the
incarcerated population which can lead to further health concerns.
Within the incarcerated population, women are a vulnerable population that is
overlooked. There are over 200,000 women currently imprisoned in the United States (Dinkel &
Schmidt, 2014). This is a dramatic change from the past decades (Dinkel & Schmidt, 2014).
Most jails and prisons have a male dominance of population therefore many female issues are
unnoticed. Healthcare education for women is now being focused on in jails and prisons due to
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the high increase in numbers (Dinkel & Schmidt, 2014). To maintain a holistic heathcare
outlook, it is important to be concerned with a womans mental and physical health because
many women need help in both those areas.
Knowledge Bias Affecting Health Care
Prisoners may not get the care they deserve due to the biases people hold against them.
When coming to the hospital, the health team needs to set aside their personal beliefs and take
care of their patient like they were anyone else (Manchester, 2014). Sometimes it can be hard
treating a prisoner who has committed extreme crimes and it is believed that they do not deserve
to live. Many prisoners have mental health issues and come from backgrounds unimaginable
(Manchester, 2014). The health care teams, especially the nurses need to consider this fact and
treat the prisoner as a normal patient. There is a stigma when walking into a patient room with a
cop standing at the bedside and the patient handcuffed to the bed. Even though personal bias can
come up, it is important to set biases aside and give the patient effective care.
It is also important to understand what medical conditions are affecting inmates the most.
Some include mental health, communicable diseases, sexually transmitted diseases and chronic
disease (Manchester, 2014). If all nurses understand that one third of the incarcerated population
is dealing with mental illness it will be easier to plan ahead for education and be more
understanding (Manchester, 2014).
Perceptions after Researching
After the research was completed I was surprised by the racial statistics of the federal
prisons. I always have thought that African-Americans would make up the majority of inmates,
when in fact it is Caucasians. One thing that I am taking away from the research and reading is
how high the mental illness rates are among the incarcerated. I knew that something had to be
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off in order to commit crimes, but at the same time I never have really considered it while
treating incarcerated patients. Now when I am taking care of prisoners, I will walk in with the
knowledge that they are struggling with inner emotions and troubles. I personally have struggled
with separating the prisoner from the crimes they have committed, but I now will have a better
grasp on what it truly means to be a nurse. Every patient deserves compassionate care and in
order to be the best nurse possible, I will need to be nonjudgmental and treat everyone equally.

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References
Dinkel, S. & Schmidt, K. (2014). Health education needs of incarcerated women. Journal of
Nursing Scholarship, 46(4), 229-34. Retrieved from
http://search.proquest.com/docview/1554348278?accountid=10825
Federal Bureau of Prisons. (2014, August 30). Retrieved from
http://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/
Harkness, G.A. (2012). Community and public health nursing practice: Evidence for practice.
Philadelphia, PA: Wolters Kluwer/Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins
ISBN 978-07817-5851-2
Heynes, D. (2014). 2013 Statistical Report. Michigan Department of Correcitons. Retrieved
from http://www.michigan.gov/documents/corrections/2014-04-04_-
_MDOC_2013_Statistical_Report_-_Vers_1_0_452815_7.pdf?20140929151008
Manchester, A. (2014, September). Improving mental health in prisons: a pilot primary health
care mental health programme in prisons has the potential to help decrease reoffending
rates. Kai Tiaki: Nursing New Zealand, 20(8), 12+. Retrieved from
http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA383048068&v=2.1&u=lom_ferrissu&it
=r&p=ITOF&sw=w&asid=fd7ee25134f5ef42c5049fe4e0fe1df8