Advancing psychology services through telehealth in the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

Abstract

This article describes a collaborative pilot project between the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Joint (Departments of Justice and Defense) Program Steering Group that seeks to determine the benefit of telehealth in a corrections environment. This pilot project is currently being conducted between a hub site in Lexington, Kentucky, and remote sites in Allenwood and Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Results to date are consistent with previous literature and suggest a high level of patient acceptance of this technology and mode of service delivery. The particular advantages of telehealth for correctional settings, including increased access to the full range of psychology services for inmates, the maintenance of institutional security, increased access to the inmate population for research purposes, and professional consultation for correctional psychologists are discussed.

Attitudes Toward Psychological Telehealth: Current and Future Clinical Psychologists’ Opinions of Internet‐Based Interventions

“…With so many factors to consider, clinicians may be hesitant to utilize telehealth modalities; however, those who attempted web camera‐based telehealth with clients demonstrated a high level of satisfaction following use (e.g., Richardson, Frueh, Grubaugh, Egede, & Elhai, ; Wangberg, Gammon, & Spitznogle, ). These findings were consistently found for both psychologists and clients at locations where web camera‐based interventions were consistently applied resulting in moderate to high levels of satisfaction (e.g., Veteran's Affairs systems, prison systems; Browne, Reilly, & Bradley, ; Griffiths, Blignault, & Yellowlees, ; Magaletta, Fagan, & Ax, ; Richardson et al, ). Satisfaction reports held true for the treatment of more readily treatable disorders such as anxiety including panic disorders (Andrews, Cuijpers, Craske, McEvoy, & Titov, ; Kiropoulos, Klein, Austin, Gilson, & Pier, ) to more complex difficulties including post‐traumatic stress disorder (Frueh et al., ).…”

Prison Telemedicine and Telehealth Utilization in the United States: State and Federal Perceptions of Benefits and Barriers

“…15 Beyond the financial advantages, perhaps the most obvious benefits are increased security and safety for the community. 16 Security is increased as transportation of prisoners outside the prison facility's secure perimeter is obviated in telemedicine. 16 Although barriers to prison telemedicine exist, they are similar to those found in implementing telemedicine in other settings.…”

Does the use of telemental health alter the treatment experience? Inmates' perceptions of telemental health versus face-to-face treatment modalities.

“…Telemental health can also reduce the costs of transporting inmates from correctional to medical facilities, and it offers a broader range of mental health services-an important consideration given the increasing mentally ill population in criminal justice settings without concomitant increases in staff resources or services (Manderscheid, Gravesande, & Goldstrom, 2004). By using telemental health to link mentally ill inmates with specialty providers on a regular basis, the overall quality of care is improved (Magaletta et al, 1998).…”