Healthcare for the incarcerated is a problem. Medical Advocacy Consultants can help.
The case for better care.
The United States government has incarcerated more people than any other country on earth. We have 5% of the World’s population and over 25% of its prisoners. In 2016, there were 2,162,400 people incarcerated in U.S. prisons and jails.
Those incarcerated men and women are among the most physiologically vulnerable individuals in our society. Prison was not intended to be a literal death sentence. What the pandemic has exposed, is that there is no place on the planet that is safe from the COVID-19 virus. What has also become apparent, is that our prison system is one of the most ill-equipped institutions to deal with a threat such as this, and that it will not be prepared to “return to normal” for the foreseeable future.
Since the rise of the pandemic in the early winter of 2019-2020, Medical Advocacy Consultants has been active in working with prison consultants and organizations to help those at high risk of serious illness or death from COVID-19 get out of prison or delay their date of surrender.
Click here to view our Covid-19 position paper
Team philosophy.
The Medical Advocacy Consulting network includes those with criminal convictions. In fact, their convictions are a significant reason why they are part of Medical Advocacy Consultants–the work that they do for our clients is informed and enhanced by the time they have spent in the system. Part of their success is based upon their first-hand knowledge of the federal and state prison health system. During the last few years, issues of re-entry and criminal justice reform have been at the forefront of public policy in the area of criminology. The First Step Act, signed by the President, was specifically designed to reintegrate people into society. The White House said the day of the signing, “The First Step Act will help prepare inmates to successfully rejoin society and enact commonsense sentencing reforms to make our justice system fairer for all Americans.” Their knowledge of the prison system, in addition to their unquestioned academic medical excellence, have aided the courts in deciding matters of life and death.
Plan of action.
Medical Advocacy Consultants provides pre-surrender medical advice and preparation for incarceration. No one wishes to have issues with the Bureau of Prisons or Department of Corrections. We are closely associated with prison consultants and advocates as well as lawyers and assist medically in several areas:
- We work closely with lawyers and consultants to help try to keep you from incarceration (for medical reasons) if at all possible.
- If pending incarceration, we fight to get the proper facility based on medical needs.
- We are available 24/7 during your incarceration to help deal with medical issues that arise and try to make sure the care you receive is the care you deserve.
- If possible, we work with consultants and lawyers to try to obtain a Compassionate Release or Reduction in Sentence. The medical portion, often crucial to this process is dealt with by our staff.