Challenges and Opportunities for Ex-Offender Support Through Community Nursing

Abstract

This study was a qualitative case study underpinned by "The Silences Framework" aimed at mapping the ex-offender health pathway towards identifying "touch points" in the community for the delivery of a nurse-led intervention. Participants meeting the study inclusion criteria were quantitatively ranked based on poor health. Participants scoring the lowest and endorsing their ranking through a confirmation of a health condition were selected as cases and interviewed over 6 months. Individuals in the professional networks of offenders contextualized emergent themes. The study indicated that pre-release, offenders were not prepared in prison for the continuity in access to healthcare in the community. On release, reintegration preparation did not routinely enquire whether offenders were still registered with a general practitioner or had the agency to register self in the community. Participants identified the site of post-release supervision as the "touch point" where a nurse-led intervention could be delivered.

Consultation With Nurse Practitioners Over the Telephone in Prison Health

“…2 A similar picture of chronic disease and disadvantage has been described in many custodial settings worldwide. 6,[11][12][13] While international standards uphold the rights of prisoners to the same standard of health care as the rest of the community, 2,14 recent research by Dhaliwal et al 10 supports the acceptance of substandard care in prisons in circumstances where the goals of the prison may override the clinical needs of patients. Nurses in a Canadian facility noted the difficulty in adhering to professional standards in an environment that accepts a lower standard of care.…”