Advancing Psychology Services Through Telehealth in the Federal Bureau of Prisons

This article describes a collaborative pilot project between the Federal Bureau of Prisons and the Joint (Departments of Justice and Defense) Program Steering Group that seeks to determine the benefit of telehealth in a corrections environment. This pilot project is currently being conducted between a hub site in Lexington, Kentucky, and remote sites in Allenwood and Lewisburg, Pennsylvania. Results to date are consistent with previous literature and suggest a high level of patient acceptance of this technology and mode of service delivery. The particular advantages of telehealth for correctional settings, including increased access to the full range of psychology services for inmates, the maintenance of institutional security, increased access to the inmate population for research purposes, and professional consultation for correctional psychologists are discussed.