Health care workers in the correctional setting can become desensitized to their patient population and begin to view them merely as inmates. This presentation will review the psychological research on desensitization in the correctional setting, legal and financial risks associated with desensitized medical personnel, and strategies to reduce desensitization in the workplace. Presenters will use legal case examples to demonstrate the risks of desensitization and psychological studies to evaluate prevention strategies.

Educational Objectives

• Describe the psychological phenomena of desensitization and compassion fatigue in the correctional setting
• Examine the impact of desensitization and compassion fatigue from a review of legal case studies
• Discuss how to identify and prevent desensitization and compassion fatigue in the workplace

Level:Intermediate