Facilitating Effective Rehabilitation In Correctional Facilities

The U.S. accounts for just four percent of the world’s population, but it houses over 25 percent of the world’s incarcerated population within its correctional facilities.

Lisa Scroggins, working in the local sheriff’s office for 14 years, had a first-hand view of the budgeting for healthcare in correctional facilities. She noticed that although the inmates were provided with relevant medical care and mental health services, the two aspects of care were disparate. Without the ability to assess inmates on a more holistic and personalized level, treating addiction was difficult. After being released from correctional facilities, the inmates would repeat the crimes for which they were previously incarcerated.

Scroggins wanted to break this cycle of recidivism. The inmates were patients in need of better care. She stepped out of her job and laid the foundation for Quality Correctional Care (QCC), one of the first companies to bring together medical care and mental health services for effective patient treatment in correctional facilities.

QCC aims to put tax dollars to good use, rehabilitating patients with holistic care so they can overcome their addictive tendencies. A holistic and foresighted treatment approach improves their health and helps them deal with mental health issues, paving the way for their successful reintegration into society. QCC’s patients are given the tools needed to turn over a new leaf and stay out of jail.

“Building bigger jails and expanding prisons will not reduce inmates. It is all about teaching people to get along outside jail so they can contribute to our society,” says Scroggins, owner and CEO of QCC.

Inculcating Corrective Behavior

Inmates are patients who lack the opportunity to work on themselves and change the trajectory of their lives. Their criminal record often limits their opportunities in society. They face challenges every step of the way, whether getting a driver’s license, finding a place to work, or receiving financial aid for education. This might prompt them back on the path of criminal activity.

QCC is on a mission to better understand this underserved population and unburden the criminal justice and correctional system. There might be instances where inmates, especially the homeless, incarcerated for trespassing and loitering, are not aware of the rules they have broken. Some might even be suffering from mental illnesses. In these cases, QCC works with them to provide relevant physical and mental care while educating them on the relevant laws in place.

County governments leverage QCC’s services to inculcate corrective behavior in patients so they can deal with challenging situations in a healthy way. The inmates are taught to break the notion of ‘criminal activity breeding criminal activity.’ The corrective behavior enables them to become better spouses, parents, and community members who can facilitate a brighter future for the next generation.

A Collaborative Approach to Care

Multiple healthcare and mental health service providers work with QCC to meet the nuanced medical needs of inmates within correctional facilities. Navigators are employed to help patients sign up for insurance through Medicaid, Medicare, or the Affordable Care Act, so patients can continue treatment even after their release.

QCC works with a non-profit partner to help patients get grants for education and simplify their path to graduation.

A case manager from the company schedules appointments for follow-ups at mental health treatment services and ensures the medications are continued after the inmates have left the correctional facility. Along with finding a psychiatric unit for patients that might need extended stay and locating a suitable place, medications are provided through pharmacies using mailed prescriptions, so they do not turn to unauthorized drugs for self-medication. QCC leverages every tool in its arsenal to provide the necessary opportunities inmates need to be successful when reintegrating into society.

Simplifying the Workflow for County Administrators

County administrators, including sheriff’s departments, save significant expenses by partnering with QCC while facilitating a more sustainable community. The discounts negotiated with local hospitals ensure inmates are provided with optimal care at nominal rates.

Building bigger jails and expanding prisons will not reduce inmates. It is all about teaching people to get along outside jail so they can contribute to our society

Police officers get training to understand the impact of their words and actions on patients who are at a low point in their lives. QCC educates officers on situational depression, anxiety, stress, and other mental effects the inmates might experience in prison.

Multiple models of training are employed depending on the needs of specific correctional facilities. From inculcating breathing exercises to help remain calm to teaching appropriate methods of administering medications, QCC ensures officers are prepared to take care of virtually any situation that might arise. They also learn to recognize mental illnesses or suicidal tendencies, along with different ways of de-escalating situations. Instead of mistaking certain patient behaviors as disruptive or uncooperative, trained law enforcement officers can understand the vulnerability of inmates and empathetically interact with them.

“The patients have made mistakes, but it does not have to define the rest of their lives. We have a choice to push them farther into the darkness or shine a light into their lives and create a positive impact,” says Scroggins.

Overcrowding in jails can be alleviated by ensuring appropriate care for patients. Corrective behavior nudges released inmates in the right direction, discouraging them from addictive tendencies that might get them back in jail.

The advantages extend beyond saving repeated healthcare expenditures. Without inmates returning to prison, the need for new correctional facilities reduces.

Giving a Second Chance at Life

Countless patients in correctional facilities better their future after getting the help they need.

When a sheriff working with QCC went to Walmart with his wife, they ran into a former inmate-patient who had completely changed the trajectory of his life. He thanked the sheriff for saving his life by providing him the means to hold down a job and become a part of society.

QCC, together with its non-profit partner, Quality 360 Healthcare Alliance, also opened a pharmacy to complement its services in Tippecanoe County, Indiana. The recidivism in jail has been reduced by 30 percent. The sheriff, along with a mental health team from QCC, recently spoke at a conference conducted by the National Commission on Correctional Healthcare to spread awareness regarding the importance of effective rehabilitation in correctional facilities. They addressed vendors, jail commanders, sheriffs, doctors, and other stakeholders on the benefits of holistic correctional healthcare for inmates.

Maintaining Quality in Care for Sustainable Results

For nursing personnel and correctional officers, QCC has created rigorous and comprehensive healthcare policies and procedures that ensure the requirements of inmates are met. This guarantees that whenever there is a medical emergency in a custodial setting, there is no hesitancy or doubt in delivering the required care support.

QCC does not depend on sales representatives or advertising to promote its services. The impact it creates in the correctional healthcare space has generated significant word of mouth and boosted its standing in the industry. From serving three jails, QCC has grown to provide its services for 65 jails across 91 counties. Multiple work release facilities, juvenile detention facilities, and municipalities also witnessed substantial benefits.

QCC places significant focus on enhancing company culture. The values of advocacy, courtesy, efficiency, and safety are ingrained in every interaction it has with clients and patients. Appreciating and rewarding the workforce ensures engagement and retention. The staff treats every patient with empathy and dignity regardless of their charges. Everyone at QCC is here to make a difference in the lives of the underserved.

QCC values the contributions of its 300-strong workforce, which provides care for more than 12,000 patients every day. Since starting its not-for-profit work, there has been a 30 percent reduction in recidivism across jails partnered with QCC. Moving forward, QCC aims to make a real difference by helping county governments implement more holistic healthcare and teaching inmates to be better community members.