New Jersey Gives More Healthcare to Female Prisoners
Women formerly incarcerated at the state’s only women’s facility have long said health care behind bars is poor. The reform is one of many in response to years of abuse.
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As part of a new program to connect women released from New Jersey prisons with healthcare services, and at no extra cost to taxpayers, a team of doctors will soon begin meeting with women at the Edna Mahan Correctional Facility in Hunterdon County to develop individual care plans and connect them with clinics, therapists and other specialists upon release, reports NewJersey.com.
Anyone within six months of release is eligible, including those who will stay on parole, and the support will continue after women finish their sentences. Research has shown that incarcerated women often face more health problems than the general population, as well as higher risks of trauma, substance abuse and domestic abuse. Women formerly incarcerated at Edna Mahan have long said health care behind bars is poor and the move is part of a range of reforms underway since federal oversight of the state’s only women’s facility began in response to years of well-documented sexual abuse and criminal charges against multiple staff.
