Resource: The Evolution of Quality Health Care in the Correctional Facilities of the State of California

Examples of medical care that both far outshine and fall below the care available to the general public can be found in California jails and prisons. As with public hospitals and clinics this dichotomy can, at times, be found concurrently at the same facility with the same providers. A literature review is used to consider the historical role medical staff, medical experimentation, development of standards and surveys, and the judicial system has had on the health care provided to inmates. Exploring the inconsistent quality of care provides insight into how these different variables may be used to predict future trends and make lasting improvements in general public and correctional health care.