Who Watches the Watchers? Oversight and Accountability in Carceral Healthcare

In the third session of the Diagnosis of Incarceration speaker series we will engage in critical dialogue around the issues related to transparency and oversight of healthcare in jails and prisons. The exposure of egregious outcomes such as disproportionate rates of mortality in jails, prisons and detention centers has revealed major shortcomings in the monitoring of safety, quality, and efficacy of services provided in carceral settings. Expert panelists will share insight about the gaps in existing mechanisms and the importance of enhanced reporting requirements, independent monitoring bodies, and community-based oversight initiatives. We will explore potential approaches to improving transparency in who watches those who watch and operate largely in the darkness of a system with a dearth of accountability.

Eunice Hyunhye Cho is a Senior Staff Attorney at the ACLU National Prison Project. Eunice’s work focuses on challenging unconstitutional conditions in U.S. immigration detention facilities and the expansion of immigration detention. Prior to joining the NPP, Eunice was a Staff Attorney at the ACLU of Washington, where she litigated cases involving the rights of immigrants in detention, incarcerated people, and students with disabilities. She also worked as a Staff Attorney at the Southern Poverty Law Center, where she litigated cases related to immigration enforcement abuse and prison conditions, and authored several reports regarding abuses in immigration detention and immigration court adjudication, including Shadow Prisons: Immigration Detention in the South.

Dr. Marc Stern is a General Internist and former assistant secretary for health care at the Washington Department of Corrections, where he led the conversion of the state's prison health care system from a decentralized, superintendent-run system to a centralized system of 700 health care professionals under physician leadership. He also served as medical director of Albany County, New York's jail, and regional medical director for the New York Department of Corrections and CMS, Inc. (now YesCare). His current and past monitoring and consulting activities include work with the U.S. Department of Justice and Homeland Security, federal courts, and the California, Wisconsin, and Miami-Dade Departments of Corrections. Dr. Stern codeveloped and taught Medical Director's Leadership Academy for NCCHC, wrote and taught the National Institute of Corrections' Executive Manager in Correctional Health Care program, and was a contributor to the 2014 NCCHC health care standards.

Esmaeil Porsa, MD, is president and chief executive officer (CEO) at Harris Health System, one of the largest community-focused, academic and safety-net healthcare systems in Texas. Harris Health is dedicated to improving the health of those most in need living in Harris County, Texas, through the delivery of high-quality care, coordination of services, evidenced-based education and peer-reviewed research. Porsa has a special interest in improving community health by addressing social determinants of health and healthcare delivery in the correctional setting. He currently serves as vice chair for the Texas Commission on Jail Standards and is a member of the Certified Correctional Health Care Professional Board of Trustees for the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

The Diagnosis of Incarceration speaker series is moderated and organized by Kennedy School MPA Candidate Dr. Cara Muñoz Buchanan, in collaboration with Katy Naples-Mitchell, Program Director of the Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management, and Sandra Susan Smith, Guggenheim Professor of Criminal Justice; Faculty Director, Program in Criminal Justice Policy and Management; Director, Malcolm Wiener Center for Social Policy; Professor of Sociology; and Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Radcliffe Institute.