Management of Diabetes in Correctional Institutions

People with diabetes in correctional facilities should be provided care equivalent to that provided to all patients with diabetes. Inmates with diabetes have unique circumstances that need to be considered so that all of the standards of care (1) may be provided. Adolescents in juvenile detention or boot camp facilities should have particular attention provided to diabetes management.

On entering the correctional facility, all inmates with diabetes require a complete history and physical examination. The history should focus on the inmate’s type of diabetes, and if the inmate is taking insulin, efforts should be made to differentiate between type 1 diabetes and insulin-requiring type 2 diabetes. A nutritional history should be obtained, including a summary of the types of food generally avoided by the inmate for spiritual, allergic, and other reasons. A review of and justification for the types of snacks should be determined. A review of medications should focus not only on the dose of the drug(s) and on the timing of administration, but also on the timing of meals and snacks. …