Attitudes Regarding the Compassionate Release of Terminally Ill Offenders

• DOI: 10.1177/0032885507306518
• Author: Jennifer L. Boothby,Lorraine Y. Overduin
• Date: 01 December 2007
• Published date: 01 December 2007
• Subject Matter: Articles

The Prison Journal
Volume 87 Number 4
December 2007 408-415
Attitudes Regarding the
© 2007 Sage Publications
10.1177/0032885507306518
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Compassionate Release of
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Terminally Ill Offenders
Jennifer L. Boothby
Indiana State University, Terre Haute
Lorraine Y. Overduin
The Ottawa Hospital, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Compassionate release, or medical parole, allows the early release of terminally
ill offenders so that they may spend time with loved ones. Such programs
have received little attention from psychological researchers. This study
examines attitudes of undergraduate students toward compassionate release
and factors that affect these attitudes. A total of 163 participants completed
questionnaires regarding attitudes toward compassionate release, attitudes
toward prisoners, and fear of AIDS. Results indicate that undergraduate
students have negative attitudes toward compassionate release of offenders
and toward prisoners, in general, with negative attitudes toward prisoners
significantly associated with negative attitudes toward compassionate release.
Fear of AIDS, however, was not associated with negative attitudes toward
compassionate release, as was expected. Results suggest that negative attitudes
toward compassionate release and prisoners may be an obstacle to the imple-
mentation of medical parole policies. Research examining attitudes in a broader
community sample is needed.
Keywords:
medical parole; fear of AIDS; attitudes toward offenders
The number of individuals who are incarcerated in the United States
continues to increase each year. It was estimated that more than 1.3
million prisoners were in custody in federal and state prisons in 2001, an
increase of almost 600,000 since 1990 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2002a).
Moreover, the number of older inmates is also increasing, with estimates that
20% of the prison population will be older than 55 by 2010 (Levine, 2002).
Older inmates often experience medical ailments during their period of incar-
ceration. The Bureau of Justice Statistics (2001) indicates that approximately
40% of state inmates and 48% of federal inmates older than 45 reported
experiencing a medical problem since beginning their period of incarceration.
One concern associated with the projected increase in older inmates and the
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Boothby, Overduin / Compassionate Release of Offenders
409
significant health concerns associated with this age group is the management
of medical illnesses among prisoners.
Inmates, in general, are believed to also have poorer health than similar-
aged individuals in the community. Explanations for this health disparity
include lifestyle issues of many prisoners, such as excessive drug and alcohol
use, economic disadvantage, and stressful living situations (Kratcoski &
Pownall, 1989). Although most medical problems affecting inmates are not
life threatening, terminal illnesses among prisoners occur at a higher rate
than among individuals in the community. For example, the rate of AIDS
among prisoners in the United States (0.52%) is approximately 4 times the
rate in the general community (0.13%) (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2002b).
Because of high rates of serious illnesses, many inmates die while incarcerated.
The process of dying in prison has its own psychological challenges. Dawes
(2002) noted that dying in prison is seen by many inmates as “the ultimate
personal failure” (p. 192). Dawes also discussed the grief and suffering that
occurs as part of incarceration and that is exacerbated by the diagnosis of a
terminal illness. Many inmates do not get regular visits with loved ones, and dying
in prison might be experienced as a particularly lonely and frightening situation.
Many correctional systems have developed compassionate release programs,
or medical parole as it is sometimes...