Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Application of the AMA Code of Medical Ethics to Psychiatric Practice in Correctional Facilities and Access to Psychiatric Care in the U.S.A.

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
Ethical Issues in Prison Psychiatry

Part of the book series: International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine ((LIME,volume 46))

  • 3385 Accesses

Abstract

The psychiatrist who passes through the sally port of a U.S. jail or prison to provide professional services enters a realm that is strikingly different from a private group practice, a clinic or a hospital. Professional ethics in a healthcare setting can be both implicit and explicit, but as a rule they are concertedly supported which creates an ethically comfortable and harmonious working atmosphere for psychiatrists. Correctional facilities in contrast serve different purposes than provision of healthcare: Security is emphasized and the leadership, management and administration of correctional facilities is driven by presumptions, customs, traditions and regulations that stress order, routine, safety and especially control.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution
Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 129.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 169.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Notes

  1. 1.

    Note: The AMA principles of medical ethics, as stated in the 2010–2011 edition of the Code of Medical Ethics, are without change from those upon which the current APA ethics (2009) are based (American Medical Association 2010).

References

  • American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law: Ethics Guidelines for the Practice of Forensic Psychiatry. 1995, 2005. Author. http://aapl.org/ethics.htm. Accessed 13 July 2010.

  • American Medical Association. 1992. Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs: Physicians participation in capital punishment. Journal of the American Medical Association 270: 365–368.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Medical Association. 2010. Code of medical ethics of the American Medical Association: Council on Ethical and Judicial Affairs: Current opinions with annotations, 2010–2011th ed. Chicago: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. 2000. Psychiatric services in jails and prisons: A task force report of the American Psychiatric Association, 2nd ed, xix–xx. Washington, DC: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association. 2009. The principles of medical ethics with annotations especially applicable to psychiatry. Arlington: Author.

    Google Scholar 

  • American Psychiatric Association Task Force on Psychiatric Services in Corrections. 1989. Position Statement on psychiatric services in jails and prisons. The American Journal of Psychiatry 146: 1244–1244.

    Google Scholar 

  • Appelbaum, K.L. 2010. The mental health professional in a correctional culture. In Handbook of correctional mental health, 2nd ed, ed. C.L. Scott, 91–118. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Barefoot V. Estelle, 103 S.ct.3383,1983.

    Google Scholar 

  • Binswanger, I.A., M.F. Stern, R.A. Deyo, P.J. Heagerty, et al. 2007. Release from prison – a high risk of death for former inmates. The New England Journal of Medicine 356(2): 157–166.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Bonnie, R. 1990a. Dilemmas in administering the death penalty: Conscientious abstention, professional ethics and the need of the legal system. Laws and Human Behavior 14: 67–90.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonnie, R. 1990b. Healing-killing conflicts: Medical ethics and the death penalty. The Hastings Center Report 20(3): 12–18.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bureau of Justice Statistics. 2007. States reported more than 2,000 arrest-related death from 2003 through 2005. http://bjs.ojp.usdoj.gov/content/pub/press/ardus05pr.cfm. Accessed 18 Jan 2010.

  • Burns, K.A. 2010. Pharmacotherapy in correctional settings. In Handbook of correctional mental health, 2nd ed, ed. C.L. Scott, 321–344. London: American Psychiatric Publishing.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dekleva, K.B. 2001. Psychiatric expertise in the sentencing phase of capital murder cases. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 29: 58–67.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Ditton, P.M. 1999. Mental health and treatment of inmates and probationers. Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Reports, NCJ 174463.

    Google Scholar 

  • Eder, A. 2008. Abuse of Seroquel in prisons reported. The News Journal. Do Delaware http://www.delawareonline.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080803/BUSINESS/308030. Accessed 28 Sept 2008.

  • Ennis, B.J., and C. Hansen. 1976. Memorandum of law: Competency to stand trial. Journal of Psychiatry and Law 4: 491–512.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felthous, A.R. 1989a. The use of psychiatric evaluations in the determinations of sentencing. In Critical issues in American psychiatry and the law, criminal court consultation, ed. R. Rosner and R. Harmen, 189–208. New York: Plenum Publishing Co.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Felthous, A.R. 1989b. The psychotherapist’s duty to warn or protect. Springfield: Charles C. Thomas.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felthous, A.R. 1994. Die moralische Pflicht, leute von der Gewallttaen der psychiatrischen ambulanten Patientes zu schützen (The Moral Duty to Protect People from Violent Acts of psychiatric Outpatients. DGPPN Kongress 1994. Deutsche Gesellschaft für Psychiatrie, Psychotherapie und Nervenheilkunde (Annual Meeting of the German Psychiatric Society) Technische Hochschule Darmstadt, Darmstadt, Germany, 3–7 Sept 1994, Abstract V-24-2.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felthous, A.R. 2001. Are psychiatrists competent to assess who the state should sentence to death? Current Opinion in Psychiatry 14(6): 537–539.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Felthous, A.R. 2009. Introduction to this issue: Correctional mental health care. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 27(5): 655–659.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Felthous, A.R. 2010a. Personal violence. In Textbook of forensic psychiatry, Secondth ed, ed. R.I. Simon and L.H. Gold, 529–561. Washington, D C: American Psychiatric Press, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felthous, A.R. 2010b. “The least of my brethren”: Treatment of the seriously mentally ill in Saint Louis Metroplex jails. St. Louis Magazine online, Oct 2010.

    Google Scholar 

  • Felthous, A.R. 2011. Suicide behind bars: Trends, inconsistencies and pracical implications. Journal of Forensic Sciences 56(6): 1541–1555.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Felthous, A.R., and C. Kachigian. 2001. The Fin de Millénaire duty to warn or protect. Journal of Forensic Sciences 46(5): 1103–1112.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Felthous, A.R., and C. Kachigian. 2003. The duty to protect. In Principles and practice of forensic psychiatry, 2nd ed, ed. R. Rosner, 147–155. London: Arnold.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Finkle, M.J., R. Kurth, C. Cadle, and J. Mullan. 2009. Competency courts: A creative solution for restoring competency to the competency process. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 27(5): 767–786.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gunter, T., S. Arndt, G. Wenman, et al. 2008. Frequency of mental and addictive disorders among 320 men and women entering the Iowa prison system: Use of the MINI-Plus. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 36: 27–34.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Guy, E., J.J. Platt, I. Zwerling, et al. 1985. Mental health status of prisoners in an urban jail. Criminal Justice and Behavior 12: 29–53.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harrison, P.M., and A.J. Beck. 2004. Prisoners in 2003.Washington, D C: Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin. NCJ 205335.

    Google Scholar 

  • Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act 45 CFR Subtitle A (10-1-03 Edition). subpart E – privacy of individually identifiable health information sections 164.500–164.534.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoffman, S. 2000. Beneficial and unusual punishment: An argument in support of prisoner participation in clinical trials. Indiana Law Review 33: 475–515.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • James, D.J., and L.E. Glaze. 2006. Mental health problems of prison and jail inmates. Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report. September.

    Google Scholar 

  • Kalmback, K.C., and P.M. Lyons. 2003. Ethical and legal standards for research in prisons. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 21: 671–686.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Karch, S.B., and B.G. Stephens. 1999. Drug abusers who die during arrest or in custody. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine 92: 110–113.

    CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Knoll IV, J.L. 2010. Ethics in forensic psychiatry. In Handbook of correctional mental health, 2nd ed, ed. C.L. Scott, 111–149. London: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Knoll IV, J.L., and G.E. Beven. 2010. Supermax units and death rows. In Handbook of correctional mental health, 2nd ed, ed. C.L. Scott, 435–475. London: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Leong, G.B., J.A. Silva, R. Weinstock, and L. Ganzini. 2000. Survey of Forensic psychiatrists on evaluation and treatment of prisoners on death row. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 28: 427–432.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lo, C. 2004. Sociodemographic factors, drug abuse, and other crimes: How they vary among male and female arrestees. Journal of Criminal Justice 32: 399–409.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • McDermott, B.E., and G. Sokolov. 2009. Malingering in a correctional setting: The use of structured interview of reported symptoms in a jail sample. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 27: 753–765.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mohandie, K., and J.R. Meloy. 2000. Clinical and forensic indicators of “suicide by copy”. Journal of Forensic Sciences 45(2): 384–389.

    CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Moser, D.J., S. Arndt, J.E. Kanz, M.L. Benjamin, J.D. Bayless, R.L. Reese, et al. 2004. Coersion and informed consent in research involving prisoners. Comprehensive Psychiatry 45: 1–9.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Olley, M.C., T.L. Nicholls, and J. Brink. 2009. Mentally ill individuals in limbo: Obstacles and opportunities in providing psychiatric services to corrections inmates with mental illness. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 27(5): 811–831.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peters, R., P. Greenbaum, J. Edens, et al. 1998. Prevalence of DSM-IV substance abuse and dependence disorders among inmates. The American Journal of Drug and Alcohol Abuse 24: 573–587.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pinals, D.A., and S.K. Hoge. 2003. Treatment refusal in psychiatric practice. In Principles and practice of forensic psychiatry, 2nd ed, ed. R. Rosner, 129–136. London: Arnold.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Pinta, E.R. 2007. Quetiapine addiction? American Journal of Psychiatry 164:174. http://ajp.psychiatryonline.org/egi/content/full/164/174. Accessed 28 Sept 2008.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pinta, E.G. 2009. Decisions to breech confidentiality when prisoners report violations of institutional rules. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 37(2): 150–154.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Powell, T., J. Holt, and K. Fondacaro. 1997. The prevalence of mental illness among inmates in a rural state. Law and Human Behavior 21: 427–438.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Pratt, D., M. Piper, L. Appleby, R. Webb, and J. Shaw. 2006. Suicide in recently released prisoners: A population-based cohort study. The Lancet 368: 119–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Riggins v. Nevada. 504 U.S. 127, 1992.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz, A. 2010. Continuous quality improvement and documentation. In Handbook of correctional mental health, 2nd ed, ed. C.L. Scott, 149–165. London: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ruiz v. Estelle. 503 F. Supp. 1265, S.D. Tex 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Scott, C.L. 2006. Psychiatry and the death penalty. Psychiatric Clinics of North America 29(3): 791–804.

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Scott, C.L. 2010. Legal issues regarding the provision of care in a correctional setting. In Handbook of correctional mental health, 2nd ed, ed. C.L. Scott, 63–88. London: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Sell v. United States. 539 U.S. 166, 2003.

    Google Scholar 

  • Temporini, H. 2010. Conducting mental health assessments in correctional settings. In Handbook of correctional mental health, 2nd ed, ed. C.L. Scott, 119–147. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Publishing, Inc.

    Google Scholar 

  • Teplin, L.A. 1994. Psychiatric and substance abuse disorders among male urban jail detainees. American Journal of Public Health 84: 290–293.

    Article  CAS  PubMed  PubMed Central  Google Scholar 

  • Texas Code Crim Proc Ann Art 37.01 (6)(2) (Vernon Supp. 1988).

    Google Scholar 

  • Torrey, E.F., A.D. Kennard, D. Eslinger, R. Lamb, and J. Pavle. 2010. More mentally ill persons are in jails and prisons than in hospitals: A survey of the states. Arlington: Treatment Advocacy Center.

    Google Scholar 

  • Trestman, R., J. Ford, W. Zhang, et al. 2007. Current and lifetime psychiatric illness among inmates not identified as acutely mentally ill at intake in Connecticut’s jails. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law 35: 490–500.

    PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • United States (U.S.) Department of Justice. 2005. Almost 7 million adults under correctional supervision behind bards or on probation or parole in the community. http://www.ojp.usdog.gov/bjs/pub/press/ppus04pr.htm.

  • Vitek v. Jones. 445 U.S. 480, 1980.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wakai, S., D. Shelton, R.L. Trestman, and K. Kesten. 2009. Conducting research in corrections: Challenges and solutions. Behavioral Sciences & the Law 27(5): 743–752.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Washington v. Harper. 494 U.S. 210, 215–217, 1990.

    Google Scholar 

  • Weinstock, R., G.B. Leong, and J.A. Silva. 2003. Ethical guidelines. In Principles and practice of forensic psychiatry, Secondth ed, ed. R. Rosner, 56–72. London: Arnold.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Weinstock, R., Leong, G.B., and J.A. Silva. 2010. Competence to be executed: An ethical analysis post Panetti. Behavioral Sciences and the Law 28(5): 690–706.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wolfson, J.K. 2007. Psychopathy and the death penalty in the United States. In International handbook of psychopathic disorders and the law, vol. II, ed. A.R. Felthous and H. Saß, 329–342. Chichester: Wiley.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Wyatt v. Stickney. 1972. 344 F. Supp. 373.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Neurology and Psychiatry, Forensic Psychiatry Division, Saint Louis University, School of Medicine, 1438 South Grand Blvd, St. Louis, Missouri, 63104, USA

    Alan R. Felthous

Authors
  1. Alan R. Felthous
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Alan R. Felthous .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Forensic Psychiatry Charité - University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany

    Norbert Konrad

  2. Section of Forensic Psychiatry, Division, University of Nottingham and Rampton Hos, Nottingham, United Kingdom

    Birgit Völlm

  3. University of Montreal Fac. Medicine, Montreal, Québec, Canada

    David N. Weisstub

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2013 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Felthous, A.R. (2013). Application of the AMA Code of Medical Ethics to Psychiatric Practice in Correctional Facilities and Access to Psychiatric Care in the U.S.A.. In: Konrad, N., Völlm, B., Weisstub, D. (eds) Ethical Issues in Prison Psychiatry. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, vol 46. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0086-4_23

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0086-4_23

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht

  • Print ISBN: 978-94-007-0085-7

  • Online ISBN: 978-94-007-0086-4

  • eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation