The Intake Process - Federal Prisons

The Intake Process – Federal Prison The Federal Bureau of Prisons was established in 1930. There are now 208,000 federal prisoners. The Bureau operates four types of institutions (minimum, low, medium, and high security) and one maximum-security prison for the less than 1% of inmates who require that level of security. (U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons, n.d.) There are 121 facilities, six regional offices, a central office, and 26 residential reentry program monitoring offices. The Federal Prison system will provide clothing, hygiene items, bedding, and food. When they arrive at the facility, the typical intake procedure for federal prisoners will be searched by prison staff. There will be a pat-down and a strip search. They will be allocated cellmates after completing prisoner orientation and testing. The recruitment and retention of qualified prison employees is a vital component of the administrative requirements of a facility of this nature. Healthcare for incarcerated individuals must be provided following established standards. Each prisoner has the right to humane facilities and conditions, free of sexual offenses, and be segregated from other inmates based on race. The opportunity to file complaints about their living and working practices and guarantee that their rights under the Americans with Disabilities Act are not violated. Wardens, Assistant Wardens, correctional officers, work supervisors, teachers, and psychologists, medical personnel, chaplains, case managers, electricians, plumbers, attorney's, pharmacists, and human resources are just a few of the positions that are needed if not required to work and run a federal prison. Certain prisoner populations necessitate specific care. Women are more likely than men to have a history of trauma and physical or sexual abuse, greater rates of chronic and acute medical conditions, and combination mental health and substance use issues. Programs are available in federal prisons for women who wish to give birth while incarcerated. Eligible pregnant offenders who opt to participate in the Mothers and Infants Together (MINT) Program are transported to a community-based center during the final trimester of pregnancy and stay with the infant throughout the critical first months. (Volunteers of America, 2022) The implications of personnel shortages and the mental health of prison officers should be addressed by administrators when dealing with such a significant population—detoxification and rehabilitation services for prisoners. Health-care expenditures increased by 37%, primarily because of an aging prison population, growing pharmaceutical prices, and rising costs of outside medical services, among other factors. COVID-19. Until the end of May 2021, 237 BOP inmates and 4 BOP employees had died because of complications related to the virus. In addition, the pandemic restricted inmates' access to programs and visitors and increased the amount of overtime required by staff. (U.S. Government Accountability Office, 2020) Although the reason for incarceration is illegal behavior, every prisoner has the right to be treated compassionately and fairly. Taking this into consideration, resources should be made available to begin the process of preparing them for reintegration into the community. To name a few, education, GED, ESL, Adult Continuing Education, Parenting, Vocational, Apprenticeships, and Release Preparation programs. (U.S. Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Prisons, n.d.)