Hospice care in prison: general principles and outcomes

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Criminal Justice
• Palliative Care

Background:

• Increasingly stringent sentencing laws lead to a rise in elderly prison populations.
• Consequently, there is a growing number of deaths within correctional facilities.
• This trend highlights the critical need for specialized end-of-life care within prisons.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify the core components of prison hospice programs.
• To determine the key outcomes associated with these programs.
• To understand the current landscape of palliative care for incarcerated individuals.

Main Methods:

• Conducted semistructured telephone interviews with prison hospice providers.
• Gathered data from providers in both state and federal correctional institutions.
• Supplemented interview data with information from other relevant sources.

Main Results:

• Identified common structural elements and principles across existing prison hospice programs nationwide.
• Observed a nationwide increase in efforts to provide palliative care to dying inmates.
• Documented significant program outcomes including cost-effectiveness, enhanced correctional environments, and improved comfort for inmates.

Conclusions:

• Prison hospice programs are a developing and significant component of end-of-life care in correctional settings.
• These programs demonstrate effectiveness in terms of cost, correctional benefits, and patient comfort.
• The findings support the expansion and standardization of prison hospice initiatives to meet the needs of aging and dying inmates.