Fishkill Correctional Facility Analysis

Each correctional facility is run slightly different, but with the same basic ground rules that deems the facility safe. Fishkill Correctional Facility is a medium security prison for males located in Beacon, New York; about seventy miles north of New York City. This facility, with a population of about 1,730 inmates, is split up into seven sections. There is the General Population, which is people who are imprisoned, but do not need special housing. There is a Special Housing Unit, which contains single cells for solitary confinement. This unit has a cap of 84 inmates. There is also an S-Block with double cell confinement, where the inmates are on lockdown 23 hours a day, with a capacity of 200 inmates. There is also a non-S-Block, where regular

Puppies enter prison at the age of eight weeks and live with their inmate puppy-raisers for approximately 24 months. As the puppies mature into well-loved, well-behaved dogs, their raisers learn what it means to contribute to society rather than take from it.” ("Mission | Puppies Behind Bars", n.d.). Fishkill Correctional Facility has many programs for their inmates that are well-rounded and educational. These programs are a carefully calculated stepping stone for the inmates on their journey back into

In this respect, Fishkill Correctional Facility is not different. Unfortunately, not all of Fishkill Correctional Facility’s medical and mental health services are able to deal with the amount of patients they have. The medical services face a problem with staffing and scheduling. Since they are short on educated staff, it is difficult to provide consistent, attentive care to their patients. In 2005, they gained new physicians and nurses, but they lost their nurse practitioner. In the New York Correctional Association’s 2005 report, is was brought to attention that 6.5 full time registered nurses out of the suggested 28.5 positions were not filled. There is also 3.0 full time licensed practical nurses out of 4.0 suggested positions left unfilled. The 23% vacancy of RN’s and 75% vacancy of LPN’s is a large part of why the medical services are falling short (“Fishkill Correctional Facility”, 2005). The nurses that are available are scheduled for extensive overtime, to the point that it is interfering with their family life. This also causes certain patients needs to not be met. There are excessively long waits to see the doctors. And even when patients are able to see the doctor, there is an overall reluctance to pay for important but costly services, such as MRIs and surgery. There is also a large problem with the distribution of medications. The corrections officers often have to help distribute