Advancing psychology services through telehealth in the federal bureau of prisons

This article describes a collaborative pilot project between the Federal Bu reau of Prisons and the Joint (Departments of Justice and Defense) Program Steering Group that seeks to determine the benefit of telehealth in a corre ctions environment. This pilot project is currently being conducted between a hub site in Lexington, Kentucky, and remote sites in Allenwood and Lewis burg, 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 correctio nal settings, including increased access to the full range of psychology se rvices for inmates, the maintenance of institutional security, increased ac cess to the inmate population for research purposes, and professional consu ltation for correctional psychologists are discussed.