As correctional nurses, we must provide nursing care to individuals whom society has labeled undesirable. The major thrust of nursing care in correctional settings is the provision of primary care for the population from the time of entry into the system, through transfers to other institutions, to final release from custody. Primary health services in this field include all aspects of the nursing process in carrying out the screening activities, providing direct heath care services, analyzing individual health behaviors, teaching, counseling and assisting individuals to assume responsibility for their own mental and physical health to the best of their abilities. The basic philosophy underlying the standard of practice is the same equivalent to that available in the community and subject to the same regulations. The philosophy, ethics, responsibilities, functions, roles, skills and legal authority that guide the practice of nurses in general settings, also guides the practice of nurses in correctional settings.
Inmates are totally dependent upon the employees' of the institution for their medical care.
This increases the responsibility of the nurse to provide quality health care. Throughout nursing school and continued practice, nurses are taught to develop commitment and respect for human beings. This cannot be altered by the fact the individual receiving care is in a correctional facility. As you walk through the entrance, the two-inch steel door clangs behind you and you never know if you will be able to set foot outside again. You have absolutely no means to get through that door unless a correctional officer in a control room somewhere, pushes a button which moves the one and a half inch bolt, that slides far to slowly to open the door.