Vulnerable Population Paper

Vulnerable Population Paper
Community settings are comprised of different types of populations. Some communities may be comprised of a population of middle-aged individuals, retirees, or single families. No matter where one lives there are also vulnerable population integrated throughout. Vulnerable population is defined as persons with diminished autonomy, those who are compromised in their ability to give informed consent. Groups often identified as vulnerable include children, homeless individuals, fetuses, the mentally handicapped, prisoners, and the economically or educationally disadvantaged. Vulnerability, however, may also characterize students, employees, patients in emergency rooms, and institutionalized persons. Vulnerability depends on context or circumstances. (Porter, 1996). A vulnerable population who one may not consider is prisoners. This paper will focus on the prison population, the description of prisoners, health and social problems, and community and nursing interventions. Ethical implications and current strategies to break the cycle of vulnerability will also be addressed. A Prisoner is defined as any individual involuntarily confined or detained in a penal institution. The term is intended to encompass individuals sentenced to such an institution under criminal or civil statutes. Individuals detained in other facilities by virtue of statutes or commitment procedures, which provide alternatives to criminal prosecution or incarceration in a penal institution. Also, includes individual’s detained pending arraignment, trial, or sentencing (University of Florida, 2007). The residential nature of the detention is critical for example, someone ordered to a residential substance abuse treatment program as an alternative to prison would be considered a prisoner, but those ordered to a similar treatment program but residing in the community would not be considered a prisoner. Understanding who may classify as a prisoner and a vulnerable population

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