As the aging prison population is reaching crisis number, the need for end-of-life care is growing. Panelists from the Humane Prison Hospice Project will explain how training incarcerated individuals to care for inmates facing the end of life can be a transformative experience for everyone involved: the volunteers, patients facing death, their families, and staff. Compelling reasons for creating a hospice program will be presented, including improved morale, reduced recidivism, and money savings. Attendees will also view the Oscar-nominated film Prison Terminal. This content includes depictions of death and can be difficult to view. 

Educational Objectives:

• Define the benefits of a prison hospice program for terminally ill patients, the people caring for them, and their families
• Review the technical, logistical, and sociopolitical difficulties in setting up a prison-based, prisoner-run hospice program in a maximum security prison
• Differentiate between the care provided by trained prisoner hospice volunteers and the non-hospice, non-correctional alternative

Level: Basic