Corrections for Academic Medicine: The Importance of Using Person-First Language for Individuals Who Have Experienced Incarceration
Authors
Bedell, Precious S.So, Marvin
Morse, Diane S
Kinner, Stuart A.
Ferguson, Warren J.
Spaulding, Anne C.
UMass Chan Affiliations
Department of Family Medicine and Community HealthCommonwealth Medicine, Health and Criminal Justice Program
Document Type
Journal ArticlePublication Date
2019-02-01Keywords
labelscriminal justice system
justice-involved individuals
health care system
Criminology and Criminal Justice
Health Law and Policy
Health Policy
Health Services Administration
Health Services Research
Metadata
Show full item recordAbstract
This Invited Commentary addresses the use of labels and their impact on people involved in the criminal justice system. There are 2.2 million adults incarcerated in the United States and close to 6.6 million under correctional supervision on any day. Many of these people experience health inequalities and inadequate health care both in and out of correctional facilities. These numbers are reason enough to raise alarm among health care providers and criminal justice researchers about the need to conceptualize better ways to administer health care for these individuals. Using terms like "convict," "prisoner," "parolee," and "offender" to describe these individuals increases the stigma that they already face. The authors propose that employing person-first language for justice-involved individuals would help to reduce the stigma they face during incarceration and after they are released. Coordinated, dignified, and multidisciplinary care is essential for this population given the high rates of morbidity and mortality they experience both in and out of custody and the many barriers that impede their successful integration with families and communities. Academic medicine can begin to address the mistrust that formerly incarcerated individuals often have toward the health care system by using the humanizing labels recommended in this Invited Commentary.Source
Acad Med. 2019 Feb;94(2):172-175. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000002501.
DOI
10.1097/ACM.0000000000002501Permanent Link to this Item
http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14038/26989PubMed ID
30699100Related Resources
ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1097/ACM.0000000000002501
Scopus Count
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