Prison Health Care in Michigan: A Case Study
Loading...
Authors
Holly, Benjamin J.
Issue Date
2006
Type
Thesis
Language
en_US
Keywords
Alternative Title
Abstract
In this paper I will look at the current state of the Michigan prison health care
system, in light of recent deaths that have taken place, as well as historically. I will
examine the role the State of Michigan and Correctional Medical Services, the State's
contracted for-profit prison health care provider, play in the administration of health care.
In doing this, I use mainly twQ frameworks, with which to analyze the situation in
Michigan. First, I use the pro-con arguments of the privatization debate, specifically as it
applies to. private prisons, and then to private health care in prisons. Second, to better
understand the role that political philosophy played, I look at the "reinvention" theory of
government. Again, I seek to -link the past with the present, by providing a historical
background of private involvement in corrections, correctional health care, and prison
health care in Michigan. In examining Michigan's system I mainly use two larger
reports, the 2000 BHCS Performance Audit and the 2002 report of Judge Enslen;
although I include other supplemental state documents as well, to form the basis for my
arguments. I find that both the state and CMS' s pattern of gross negligence has
continued since the issuance of these reports. Particularly, I find that the state is severely
lacking when it comes to its accountability and monitoring ofCMS. In light ofCMS's
status as a private company, I find evidence that, despite what proponents claim, the
profit-motive, in this situation, is not functioning the way it is theoretically supposed to,
mainly due to a lack of real competition. At the end I offer recommendations as to how
the situation could be improved.
Description
v, 118 p.
Citation
Publisher
License
U.S. copyright laws protect this material. Commercial use or distribution of this material is not permitted without prior written permission of the copyright holder. All rights reserved.