COMMUNITY AND ORGANIZATIONAL RESOURCES
AVAILABLE TO NURSES AND THE PUBLIC
NURSING ORGANIZATIONS:
Canadian Nurses Association (CNA): Code of Ethics (2008)
This document outlines the ethical values that all healthcare providers are required to have as apart of their practice when providing care to those in need. The essential purpose of the Code of Ethics is to decrease social inequalities and encourage social injustice. The following guidelines need to be met as part of the nursing role:
- Provide safe, compassionate, competent and ethical care
- Promote health and well-being
- Promote and respect informed decision-making
- Preserve dignity
- Respect privacy and confidentiality
- Promote justice
- Be accountable
The International Council of Nurses (ICN): Nurses’ role in the care of detainees and prisoners
The position statement summarizes the responsibilities that nurses have to prisoners who require nursing care. It states that “nurses are expected to adhere to [the] human rights and ethical principles” regarding this specific population as part of their scope of practice. Nurses have the duty to provide these particular patients with informed consent and must ensure that the patients understand their rights concerning their medical care and treatment plans. Furthermore, nurses should provide care based on ethical standards and respect for human beings and protection of their health and rights. Another role that nurses have in this type of setting is that they need to be advocates for their patients so that safe, compassionate treatment is provided and the clients’ dignity and respect remains intact.
Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO): Ontario Correctional Nurses’ Interest Group (OCNIG)
The purpose of this RNAO group is to empower nurses working in prisons/correctional facilities by promoting health and advocating for these particular nurses, as well as, promoting advanced education in this area of nursing and guiding new and prospective nurses working in this field.
Canadian Nurses Association (CNA): Code of Ethics (2008)
This document outlines the ethical values that all healthcare providers are required to have as apart of their practice when providing care to those in need. The essential purpose of the Code of Ethics is to decrease social inequalities and encourage social injustice. The following guidelines need to be met as part of the nursing role:
- Provide safe, compassionate, competent and ethical care
- Promote health and well-being
- Promote and respect informed decision-making
- Preserve dignity
- Respect privacy and confidentiality
- Promote justice
- Be accountable
The International Council of Nurses (ICN): Nurses’ role in the care of detainees and prisoners
The position statement summarizes the responsibilities that nurses have to prisoners who require nursing care. It states that “nurses are expected to adhere to [the] human rights and ethical principles” regarding this specific population as part of their scope of practice. Nurses have the duty to provide these particular patients with informed consent and must ensure that the patients understand their rights concerning their medical care and treatment plans. Furthermore, nurses should provide care based on ethical standards and respect for human beings and protection of their health and rights. Another role that nurses have in this type of setting is that they need to be advocates for their patients so that safe, compassionate treatment is provided and the clients’ dignity and respect remains intact.
Registered Nurses’ Association of Ontario (RNAO): Ontario Correctional Nurses’ Interest Group (OCNIG)
The purpose of this RNAO group is to empower nurses working in prisons/correctional facilities by promoting health and advocating for these particular nurses, as well as, promoting advanced education in this area of nursing and guiding new and prospective nurses working in this field.
HUMAN RIGHTS ORGANIZATION:
Amnesty International Canada: Death Penalty in Canada
The death penalty and all residual references in Canada were eradicated on December 10, 1998 from the National Defence Act, indicating that the death penalty has been nonexistent in Canada since 1998. Canadians, however, when traveling or visiting other countries, especially foreign countries, are at major risk for the death penalty as these countries have their own laws regarding misdemeanor.
PASAN
A community-based AIDS Service Organization founded in 1991 that aims to provide education and support on HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C virus and other illness to prisoners in Ontario. It strives to educate and provide support services to raise awareness and promote prevention of these viruses.
Amnesty International Canada: Death Penalty in Canada
The death penalty and all residual references in Canada were eradicated on December 10, 1998 from the National Defence Act, indicating that the death penalty has been nonexistent in Canada since 1998. Canadians, however, when traveling or visiting other countries, especially foreign countries, are at major risk for the death penalty as these countries have their own laws regarding misdemeanor.
PASAN
A community-based AIDS Service Organization founded in 1991 that aims to provide education and support on HIV/AIDS, Hepatitis C virus and other illness to prisoners in Ontario. It strives to educate and provide support services to raise awareness and promote prevention of these viruses.
MEDIA COVERAGE:
CBC News: Prison nurses face sex taunts, death threats
This article articulates the responsibilities of nurses in Canadian prisons and how their experiences have affected them holistically. It reported that nurses have lower burn out levels and in turn, have a higher chance of continuing to work in their current employment settings, although they are faced with many challenges such as sexual insults, death threats, etc. Nurses also reported having less control over their practice mainly due to security limitations. These particular nurses stated that their main focus was on healthcare and security and that imagining them in the prisoner’s situation could assist in providing non-judgmental care.
The Star: In prison and disaster zones, nurse’s caring nature prevails
This article shares the stories of nurses’ experiences in Canadian correctional facilities. The nurses state that they treat inmates like any other patient and only think about providing the best care possible for these particular patients. Nurses are not informed of the crimes that the prisoners have committed, as their primary roles are to promote and restore health, prevent illness and alleviate suffering.
CBC News: Prison nurses face sex taunts, death threats
This article articulates the responsibilities of nurses in Canadian prisons and how their experiences have affected them holistically. It reported that nurses have lower burn out levels and in turn, have a higher chance of continuing to work in their current employment settings, although they are faced with many challenges such as sexual insults, death threats, etc. Nurses also reported having less control over their practice mainly due to security limitations. These particular nurses stated that their main focus was on healthcare and security and that imagining them in the prisoner’s situation could assist in providing non-judgmental care.
The Star: In prison and disaster zones, nurse’s caring nature prevails
This article shares the stories of nurses’ experiences in Canadian correctional facilities. The nurses state that they treat inmates like any other patient and only think about providing the best care possible for these particular patients. Nurses are not informed of the crimes that the prisoners have committed, as their primary roles are to promote and restore health, prevent illness and alleviate suffering.