Struggles from outside and within the bars of the juvenile justice system: Role conflict of health care delivery

Currently, the nation is plagued with multiple social problems. Violence is the nation's top public health concern. President Clinton has attempted to address the nation's health care crisis without success. State nursing associations are concerned with unlicensed health care being rendered in the national system; this has caused divisions of the professions. All of these problems can be found in the setting of juvenile corrections. Inmates are the only group in this nation who have a constitutional right to healthcare. In Sunshine County (fictitious name), Florida, corrections staff, not licensed healthcare givers, are rendering most of the health care. This study describes the views and experiences of unlicensed corrections staff concerning their roles when rendering health care. Data sources included 43 unlicensed corrections workers from four juvenile corrections facilities, as well as the participation of five licensed professionals. Nine findings emerged: lethargy, caring, role stress and frustration, role conflict, multiple system failure, fear, communication, knowledge deficit and facility observations.;About half the corrections staff approached their positions in a caring manner. Roles were filled with conflict and stress. Many of the corrections staff believed they were educationally unprepared for role fulfillment. Yet, corrections staff were lethargic in meeting educational deficits.;The findings were examined with relation to role theory and Mead's theory of symbolic interactionism. Findings should be addressed through reevaluation of the utilization and requirements of professionally licensed staff. Corrections staff experienced multifaceted knowledge deficit. Adult education learning theory presents solutions to these deficits.;The Mission Statement of the Department of Juvenile Justice needs to be clarified for the corrections staff. Many corrections staff assume the goals of juvenile corrections is simply incarceration, the same as those for adults. They do not realize that a large goal of juvenile corrections is rehabilitation. Professionally licensed staff should be meeting the needs of the incarcerated juveniles.