An Organizational Analysis of Prison Hospice

Abstract

The integration of prison hospice programs into the prison settings poses a unique organizational challenge. Generally, prisons adhere to strict functional boundaries and rigid chains of command in their operations and delivery of services. Yet hospice programs by their very nature involve interdisciplinary collaboration and coordination. Furthermore, hospice programs require the creation of more compassionate settings in which the end of life may occur, which challenges widely held beliefs that prisons must be stark and punitive and that prisoners must be treated with uniformity. Through interviews with prison hospice coordinators, this study explores the structure and operations of hospice programs, how well hospice programs are integrated within the larger prison community, and the impact that prison hospice programs have on the prison environment in general.