Deck 25: Correctional Health

Question 1

What has contributed to the increase in people with mental illness being incarcerated?

A) An increase in violence on television and in society
B) Overcrowding in correctional facilities
C) An increase in stress in people's lives
D) The deinstitutionalizing of the mentally ill

Answer 1

The deinstitutionalizing of the mentally ill

Question 2

Which statement is true about people of Aboriginal descent in correctional facilities?

A) They are sent to facilities that specialize in Aboriginal offenders.
B) A large percentage is HIV positive.
C) In Quebec,Aboriginal offenders are less likely to be incarcerated.
D) Aboriginal people are overrepresented in corrections.

Answer 2

Aboriginal people are overrepresented in corrections.

Question 3

For nurses in the correctional system,health programs may create conflict with correctional system's main concerns of security and protection of the public.Describe two such health programs,giving pros and cons for each.

Answer 3

- methadone maintenance programs: reduce illicit drug use while incarcerated but provide inmates with a substance that can be diverted and abused (see page 395 for more details)
- needle exchange programs: reduce spread of diseases such as Hep B/C and HIV but provide inmates with potential weapons and support illicit drug use (see page 395 for more details)

Question 4

Nurses in correctional facilities are able to develop policy that will improve the health of inmates.What is an example of such a policy?

A) Creating a methadone initiation program
B) Creating a needle exchange program
C) Implementing a ban on tattooing
D) Pandemic planning

Question 5

How does a nurse in a correctional facility build trust with inmates?

A) Becoming involved with disciplining an inmate
B) Protecting confidential health care information
C) Meeting all requests for health care services
D) Having a correctional officer within hearing distance at all times

Question 6

Case 1 Ms.Blackstone,19 years old,has been sentenced to an 18-month sentence.
(Refer to Case 1 above. )What is an example of a secondary prevention the nurse may use with Ms.Blackstone?

A) Crisis intervention
B) Suicide prevention
C) Advocacy
D) Appropriate referrals

Question 7

What infectious disease has the potential to increase in prevalence through overcrowding in correctional settings?

A) Hepatitis C
B) Tuberculosis (TB)
C) HIV
D) Salmonella

Question 8

Case 1 Ms.Blackstone,19 years old,has been sentenced to an 18-month sentence.
(Refer to Case 1 above. )While conducting the intake assessment,Ms.Blackstone states that she will not be examined while the correctional officer is present.What should the nurse do?

A) Tell her that the correctional officer is required to be present
B) Request that the correctional officer leave
C) Postpone the examination
D) Ask another nurse to replace the correctional officer

Question 9

What activity might a nurse engage in while working in a correctional facility?

A) Informing correctional staff about an inmate's HIV status
B) Supplying inmates with toothbrushes and floss to keep in their cells
C) Initiating a methadone maintenance treatment program
D) Using magazines and folded paper as safety splints for injured limbs

Question 10

A nurse is working in a provincial correctional facility.What skill will be essential in this setting that is less important in a federal facility?

A) Gerontological assessment
B) Addiction counselling
C) Caring for inmates with mental health concerns
D) Assessment and triage

Question 11

Luc is an inmate in a provincial correctional facility.Discuss three reasons why being in custody may improve his health status.Give a specific practice example related to each reason.

Question 12

Case 1 Ms.Blackstone,19 years old,has been sentenced to an 18-month sentence.
(Refer to Case 1 above. )The nurse does an intake assessment.What is true of women who are incarcerated?

A) Higher rate of diagnosed infections
B) Higher rate of HIV antibody prevalence
C) Less likely to have anxiety compared to male inmates
D) Less likely to hurt themselves

Question 13

What is an example of dynamic security in a correctional facility?

A) Managing professional boundaries
B) Personal protection alarms
C) Counting equipment
D) Video monitoring

Question 14

What infection is an inmate in a correctional facility most likely to encounter?

A) HIV
B) Chlamydia
C) Syphilis
D) Hepatitis C

Question 15

What is an example of a primary prevention in a correctional facility?

A) Crisis intervention
B) Substance abuse program
C) Social skills training
D) Advocacy

Question 16

Case 1 Ms.Blackstone,19 years old,has been sentenced to an 18-month sentence.
(Refer to Case 1 above. )Ms.Blackstone is three months pregnant upon admission to the facility.What action would the nurse take?

A) Tell Ms.Blackstone she will serve her sentence in the community
B) Arrange for Ms.Blackstone to attend community prenatal classes
C) Do an HIV test
D) Discuss options with Ms.Blackstone regarding the pregnancy

Question 17

Kris,22 years old,has been sentenced to five years in prison for trafficking.What type of facility will he be sent to?

A) Territorial correctional centre
B) Federal correctional institution
C) Provincial correctional centre
D) Remand centre

Question 18

How should a new nurse develop therapeutic relationships with children in a young offenders' facility?

A) Get caught up in the sensationalism that surrounds a particular offender
B) Managing professional boundaries
C) Suppress her reactions to the inmates' alleged offences or crimes
D) Change security regulations that interfere with nursing care

Question 19

Case 1 Ms.Blackstone,19 years old,has been sentenced to an 18-month sentence.
(Refer to Case 1 above. )What type of facility will Ms.Blackstone be sent to?

A) Provincial correctional centre
B) Youth detention centre
C) Remand facility
D) Federal correctional centre

Question 20

A nurse in a correctional facility learns that an inmate is HIV positive.What should the nurse do?

A) Request that the inmate be transferred to hospital
B) Teach the correctional officers standard precautions
C) Tell the corrections officers of the HIV status
D) Have the inmate moved into a cell with another inmate who is HIV positive

Question 21

Barbara is a nursing manager within Correction Services Canada.She has been asked to maximize public health opportunities within her nursing services.Discuss what would be required to move this issue forward.