Prison Life and Strategies to Decrease Recidivism Research Paper

Prison Life and Strategies to Decrease Recidivism - Research Paper Example One of the concerns that a person encounters upon entering prison is the lack of freedom to seek the health care provider one desires. The condition inside prison cells, such as congested spaces, limited movement, the mixture of cultures, etc. might have a toll upon the mental and physical health of an inmate. Thus, adequate health service must be provided inside the prison so that the health of the prisoner can be adequately managed. The Bureau of Prisons provides four levels of medical care to which inmates are assigned by the Designation and Sentence Computation Center (DSCC) based on the information gathered from the investigation report. Upon arrival at the facility, the provisional care for the inmate is reviewed by the prison clinicians. Non-provisional care is assigned depending on the needs of the inmate, which takes into consideration the ability to function without assistance from another (Ellis, 2008). Provision of medical care to inmates also varies depending sentence or status of the case. Thus, inmates whose sentence has not been read, those with the sentence below 12 months, or pre-trial inmates are not eligible to â€Å"medically appropriate-not always necessary† health service, â€Å"limited medical value,† as well as â€Å"extraordinary† service. Some categories of illnesses such as cancer, HIV, diabetes, etc. may also determine the type of care that may be given to the inmate.The medical services provided by the Bureau are determined by the following levels of medical intervention.