Correctional Health, Presidential Agendas and Social Determinants
Correctional health covers many of the nation's most ill, including mental illness,
infectious diseases, spinal cord injuries, trauma injuries, dementia, chronic illness, acute
illness, drug addiction, and more (National Institute of Corrections, 2023). The
correctional health population suffers from multiple social determinants, but the stigma
surrounding corrections and inmates makes it difficult for them to thrive upon reentry
into the community. Would you be able to be a healthcare advocate for an inmate
knowing that their beliefs and actions do not coincide with yours? Would your personal
biases hold you back if you knew what crimes they had committed?
Shockingly, correctional health has been at the forefront of presidential agendas for over
50 years, with policies that continue to rise to the presidential level. In April 2023, the
Biden-Harris Administration announced that they were working to improve correctional
health care by following an evidence-based plan for reentry into the community.
According to The White House (2023), the Biden-Harris Administration's Strategic Plan
is intended for inmates to:
Expand access to healthcare; Secure access to safe and affordable housing;
Enhance educational opportunities; Expand access to food and subsistence benefits;
Create and enhance job opportunities and access to business capital; Strengthen
access to banking and other financial services; and Reduce barriers to the ballot box
for eligible persons (paras. 4-5).
The goal of this plan is to rehabilitate and redirect inmates who are reentering the
community after being released from carceral facilities. This comes after years of
progress and advocacy for this population. In 1973, the NCCHC (National Commission
on Correctional Health Care) was funded by the Department of Justice's Law
Enforcement Assistance Administration under President Ford (National Commission on
Correctional Healthcare, 2023). This moment was pivotal in the world of corrections,
making universal healthcare standards a reality. Correctional health has many
advocates in the community who want to witness inmate success upon reentry. These
agendas help to positively impact the inmates and the families and friends impacted by
their incarceration. The government's agendas allow an underserved population to take
control of their lives.
Unfortunately, injustice, discrimination, and biased attitudes and actions are frequently
observed as a corrections nurse. The stigma surrounding these inmates, their crimes,
and their misalignment of morals could cause a negative political stream when the
government creates policies in their favor (Milstead & Short, 2019). While a negative
political stream could impact these policies, the number of advocates, human rights
activists, families, and friends of the incarcerated work endlessly to ensure they receive
universal healthcare standards and ensure a plan upon reentry into the community. I
agree with the Biden-Harris Administration plan and believe that everyone deserves a
fair shot at a second chance.
