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Private Healthcare Plagues Prisons
by David J. Meister Recently, after 14 years of continual litigation, a federal judge has ordered the takeover of medical services in Arizona state prisons. United States District Judge Roslyn Silver found the prison healthcare system—operated by private profiteer NaphCare—is “AN INTOLERABLE GRAVE AND IMMEDIATE THREAT OF CONTINUING HARM AND SUFFERING because the systemic deficiencies…
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No Recourse: How Prison Medical Providers Avoid Liability
By David J. Meister By the nature of incarceration, U.S. prisoners are totally reliant on facility officials to provide adequate medical care. That is a major operational expense. An industry of private healthcare providers has emerged to fill a need traditionally—if reluctantly—filled by government, offering cheaper solutions. Typically, a prison healthcare provider is paid a…
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Arizona Prison Healthcare Enters Era of Court-Ordered Rehab
by David J. Meister After 14 years of continual litigation, a federal judge has finally ordered the takeover of medical services in Arizona State Prisons. The United States District Court for the District of Arizona addressed unconstitutionally deficient medical care for prisoners in the State of Arizona, ordering experts to conduct an evaluation and file…
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Hopelessness: Another Idaho Inmate Death in Arizona
By David J. Meister “I don’t know if I can keep doing this . . . ,” Adam said. “I had a good job in E- and G-Block. I was doing great. Staff loved me, but said they couldn’t do anything to stop the move.” My cellmate Adam told me words to that effect in…
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Increase of Tech in Prisons, a Double Edged Sword?
The Rise of Digital Technology in Prisons Technology has become a source of solace to prisoners, a tool for reform, and a window to the outside world. Email, video visitation, video-grams, videogames, music, movies, TV streaming, mobile phones, digital newspapers, ebooks, and online educational services have all been introduced through e-tablets and kiosks over the…