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Medical Treatment in Prison

An illustration shows three people on patient beds inside a dark room, with the orange sky visible through the window. On the right side, there are dark silhouettes of dialysis machines and tubes with puddles of water on the floor.
Feature December 16
Women Are Sent to This Federal Prison for Dialysis. They Say It’s Killing Them.
Patients at Carswell medical prison in Texas describe unsanitary conditions, missed treatments and substandard care.
By Kaley Johnson
[Use this form](https://airtable.com/appR7SW9BhPZGdXp9/pagDZ0cMp3LJ9uimP/form) to tell us about how menopause and perimenopause affects women behind bars.
Get Involved December 16
What’s It Like to Go Through Menopause in Prison? We Want to Know
Your insights will help inform a guide about the critical life stage that we’ll share with incarcerated people.
By
A person wearing a blue medical gown is holding a breathing tube while lying on a hospital bed. A handcuff is locked onto a bar of the bed.
Closing Argument December 13
What’s So Scary About Treatable Conditions Behind Bars?
Medicines, procedures, and specialists can be scarce in prison, or people don’t get them until it’s too late.
By
A collage shows images of clippings of a court case, a prison facility and a nurse with a stethoscope writing on a clipboard.
St. Louis December 8
Nurses Say Staff Shortage at Missouri Prison Means Skipped Medication, Long Waits for Care
Current and former employees at Jefferson City Correctional Center say the shortage is causing unrest. They blame the state’s contractor, Centurion Health.
By
An illustration of a family at the start of a path looking toward their relative in the distance, at the end of the path. Panels of black-and-white photo collages, including family photos, surround the illustration.
Life Inside September 26
When Their Loved Ones Died Behind Bars, These Families Had to Sleuth for the Truth
After a family member passes away in prison or jail, people are often left with basic questions. To get answers, they have to get creative.
By , and
Protesters, wearing puffer jackets, beanies, gloves and pants, stand on the side of the road holding signs such as: "70% doesn't equal 100%," "Trying not to die in 2025," and "Essential not expendable." In the background, a road sign reads "Greene Correctional Facility."
Closing Argument July 26
New York’s Prison Guard Strike Ended Months Ago. For Some, Life-Threatening Effects Persist.
Staffing shortages mean incarcerated people are not getting vital medical care, programming and other services.
By
A gray chain-link fence topped with barbed wire outside an Oklahoma jail.
Inside Story October 24, 2024
Effort to Provide Low-Cost Health Care Behind Bars Stirs Controversy
Examining a company providing low-cost health care services at jails across the U.S., and a formerly incarcerated person shares how a mentor behind bars saved his life.
By and
A sheriff’s deputy and a nurse stand in front of a prison door to give medication to an incarcerated person.
Closing Argument June 8, 2024
Why Some States are Trying to Get People Medicaid Before They Leave Prison
People leaving prisons and jails are at greater risk of illness and death, but for years they couldn’t use the government health insurance program.
By
A collage illustration shows the Corizon headquarters sign underneath three circular photographs of people. One circle features a young man, smiling. Another circle shows a woman posing next to a young man. In the third, a couple smiles against a backdrop of palm trees. Floating around these three images are cut-out pieces of text from a court filing that contains words like “bankruptcy,” “harm,” “wrongdoing” and “incarcerated people.” Red illustrated bars lay over a corner of the Corizon headquarters.
News September 19, 2023
A Prison Medical Company Faced Lawsuits From Incarcerated People. Then It Went ‘Bankrupt.’
The prison giant Corizon spun off a new company, which could allow it to pay pennies on the dollar for medical malpractice and civil rights claims.
By
An illustration shows an incarcerated man laid on a hospital bed with one arm covering their face and one leg propped up. The patient's silhouette is colored in brown, and the rest of the room is in grayscale. Orange, white, blue and orange squiggly lines represent a tingling sensation inside the patient's body.
Life Inside August 18, 2023
Prison Healthcare Means Not Knowing What’s Slowly Destroying My Body
For over two years, a mystery illness has made it hard for James Keown to walk, sit up and eat. Now he wonders if he has to die to be diagnosed.
By James Keown
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