Estelle v Gamble: Misdiagnosis of Inmates & Its Implications - Essay Sample

Introduction

The implications of the Supreme Court cases of Estelle v Gamble in the realms of suicidal inmates could be interpreted through a critical analysis of a verbatim whereby most decisions were based on the predictions of the over 15 doctors who had a misdiagnosis of the inmates’ conditions. The misdiagnosis had severe impacts on the inmates who were compelled to endure a more extended period of pain than expected if the physician had gotten right the prescriptions. Albeit the case was far from inmate suicide, the primary issues encompassed the manifestation of inmates' medical treatment in correlation with the enormous problems of suicidal inmates. Many prisons are faced with the challenges of insufficient resources, medical equipment, and enough personnel in addressing the medical conditions of the inmates (Legal Information Institute,1992). Worse still, many inmates in prison suffer mental issues that are yet to be revealed or addressed, owing to the prison’s lack of trained professionals to deal with such matters. Inmates with mental health conditions are therefore vulnerable to committing suicide in jails, and despite the existence of psychiatrists, who are still limited, the overcrowdi8ng in prisons bars such psychiatrists from properly addressing all inmates.

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Implications of Newman v Alabama on Suicidal Inmates

The implications of the Supreme Court ruling of Newman v Alabama, the state of Alabama inmates had won a lawsuit of the class action that had predicted the state’s system of prisons to be providing only nominal assistance to inmates that were mentally ill. Besides, the inmates in such prisons also lacked psychiatrists, social workers, or counselors within their system who could attend to inmates with mental health conditions. Lack of such essential elements in the jails like limited nominal assistance, shortage of councilors, psychiatrists, and social works was, therefore, the primary contributing factor to suicidal amounts within the correctional facilities. That has also been supported by most research conducted that indicates that inmates with mental health prisoners and those with the need for professional mental health if not provided with enough assistance like counseling, psychiatrist help, and social workers assistance, may opt for suicide as the only resort.

How Estelle v Gamble and Newman v Alabama Have Impacted on My Policy of Suicide Prevention Program

My policy of suicide prevention program is aimed at reducing the considerable suicide attempts that are common in prisons. That is through the precise analysis of the constitutional implications of suicidal inmates, coupled with the determination of addressing such issues. The supreme court decisions on such cases encompass the review of my policy to incorporate assistance to inmates through the incorporation of social workers, psychiatrists, and councilors in the prisons in the quest of helping inmates with mental health conditions (Legal Information Institute, 1992). That would ensure a reduction of suicidal cases in the prisons among the inmates. That following the constant suicidal attempts that are common in most prisons by mentally ill inmates or the ones that re stressed and it is hardly possible to predict the occurrence of prison suicides.

My policy revision after the incorporation of Estelle v Gamble and Newman v Alabama supreme court case decisions is that there should be adequate medical treatments for inmates in the prison facilities and minimizing the cruel unusual treatments for the inmates in prisons. The policy should additionally incorporate the rights of inmates to procedures and the obligations of the prison system to adequately equip the prison department with enough medical equipment, hiring more psychiatrists, councilors, and social workers, especially in the overcrowded prisons to cater for al individual prisoners. That would ensure that the inmate's suicidal attempts are minimized in the prisons since the inmates' welfare will be provided for.

Distinguishing Potential Suicide Victim from Manipulative Inmate

Suicide is prevalent in prisons, and there exists self-harming inmates who are labeled manipulative and, if not treated, may result in their deaths. That is, following the manipulative individual's risks to the suicides band needs to be addressed. There is, therefore, the need for mental health councilors in prisons to identify, assessing, and prevention of prison suicides. It is not always accessible to asses suicides in the correctional facilities as there are perceptions that some self-harming inmates are manipulative. Besides, it may be hard by the correctional officers to believe inmates who are expressing suicidal ideations or gestures or the ones who intentionally exaggerate or falsify psychological symptoms for external gains. That would make the correctional officers fail to refer to such inmates to9 mental health councilors following their minimal knowledge ion mental health issues.

In addressing the situations of manipulative or self-harming inmates with aspects of mental health behaviors, the correctional officers should refer them to mental health councilors. The mental health councilors would then assess whether the cases are genuine or not, instead of ignoring such conditions as it may result in suicides. The requirement and protocol in distinguishing potential suicide victims from manipulative inmate would encompass the mental health councilors finding effective ways to communicate and collaborate with the correctional officers so that individuals considered suicidal are assessed and treated.

Impacts of Prison Overcrowding to Inmates’ Suicides

Overcrowded prisons often upset the inmates, thereby inhibiting their mental and psychological improvements and consequently accelerating their suicidal attempts (Ginneken, Southland, &molleman,2017). The limited resources, coupled with lack of a peaceful environment, results in destructive consequences to the inmates leading to stress, mistrust, anger, frustrations, and destructions that may occur to suicides among inmates. From the administrative perspective, the prison overcrowding results to inmates’ suicide in the realms of the disruption of the typical functioning bot the prisons and security levels, coupled with negative binomial regression that leads to suicides among inmates as who are not well supervised by the administrators (Genneken et al.,2017). The policy protocol and requirement for addressing that issue would encompass the implementation of adequate suicide prevention programs, increased supervision, and establishing a fixed number of inmates in each jail to prevent the negative consequences of overcrowding that may accelerate suicidal risks among inmates.

References

Cummings, L., & Mind, N. (2009, July). Suicidal or Manipulative? The Role of Mental HealthCouncilors in Overcoming a False Dichotomy in Identifying and Treating Self HarmingInmates. Journal of Mental Health Counselling. Retrieved fromhttps://www.thefreelibrary.com/Suicidal+or+manipulative%3f+The+role+of+mental+helth+conselors+in...-a0204682042

Ginneken, E., Southland, A. &Molleman, T. (2017, February). An Ecological Analysis of PrisonOvercrowding and Suicide Rates ion England and Wales. International Journal of Lawand Psychiatry. Retrieved from https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2016.05.005

Legal Information Institute. (1992). Estelle v Gamble. Cornell Law School. Retrieved fromhttps://www.law.cornell.edu/supremecourt/text/429/97