Abstract
This article examines current trends in jail health assessment practices and their financial implications. A brief historical perspective of the evolution of jail health standards is presented as a preface to analyzing current practices nationally. A survey of 509 jails across the United States suggests that health assessments are conducted aggressively in spite of national guideline recommendations, resulting in a significant amount of unnecessary spending. Despite the fact that 48% of jail inmates will be released within 1 week of incarceration, a significant percentage of jails requires that health assessments be performed within days of incarceration. These health assessment practices are evaluated in light of national practice recommendations, and implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.
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