Professional Boundaries in Corrections

[摘要] Boundary violations occurring in corrections settings require special attention. There is a unique relationship between officers and inmates, governed by policies and procedures as well as ethics in general (e.g., the lack of ability for a person in a controlled environment to consent to a relationship due to power imbalance). Recent high-profile cases between corrections officers and inmates demonstrate the complexities inherent in these relationships. We examine several recent cases and offer analysis of the factors leading to these dangerous encounters. We discuss how a special relationship develops between a corrections employee and an inmate and how that can lead to blackmail, the introduction of contraband to the prison, or other illegal activity. It is easy to state that one should not engage in sexual encounters, but it is harder to discuss and identify feelings that develop in correctional settings, such as transference and counter-transference feelings in a therapeutic relationship. Lessons of professionalism from the doctor–patient relationship parallel the relationships between officers and inmates. Psychiatrists, especially forensic psychiatrists, are familiar with unprofessional behaviors that may be deemed unethical and may even amount to allegations in civil and criminal contexts. While some cases may seem to be obvious transgressions, others are more complex and ambiguous. For example, Gabbard and Nadelson ¹ have stated: Professional boundaries in medical practice are not well defined. In general, they are the parameters that describe the limits of a fiduciary relationship in which one person (a patient) entrusts his or her welfare to another (a physician), to whom a fee is paid for the provision of a service. (Ref. 1 , p 1445) Likewise, professional boundaries in the correctional setting must be defined and followed. Correctional officers and a variety of other employees are also vulnerable to committing unprofessional or unethical behavior with inmates. To this point, the Department of Justice (DOJ) has stated, “Under the federal criminal code, consent by a prisoner [to engage in a relationship with corrections staff] is never a legal defense because of the inherently unequal positions of prisoners and correctional and law enforcement staff who control many aspects of prisoners' lives” (Ref. 2 , p i). Moreover, frank violation of policies and procedures by corrections staff can threaten the safety and security of the corrections environment. ³ In this article, we aim to provide a more complete understanding of how and why cases of boundary violations occur in corrections. We will first present several cases from the media to illustrate these violations, to analyze factors that contribute to boundary infractions in corrections, and to consider the potential security threats that arise. Then we will discuss the phenomena of how these special relationships develop in corrections settings, sometimes referred to as “getting got” or becoming a “duck.” Last, we will examine the lessons learned from medical education and general psychiatric training as they might apply to preparation for practicing correctional psychiatry.

[学科分类] 儿科学