Unit.C.1.1.
Historical Firsts and Facts
Australia |
focus
points
|
 |
"It
is apparent there is significant role variation across
the Western world in relation to how forensic nurses
practice. Forensic nursing has developed in Australia,
as in most Western nations, largely in isolation from
the mainstream of nursing and in an ad hoc fashion.
In some Western countries, forensic nursing historically
has been practiced in secure psychiatric hospitals,
prison settings, and forensic wards of general hospitals
(i.e., facilities that treat offenders/alleged offenders).
Yet, in other Western countries (largely the United
States) forensic nursing appears to be a specialty focused
mainly on the care of victims of crime" (Evans
& Wells, 2001).
"This raises the question of who victims of crime
access to meet their health care needs when forensic
nurses are not available to them. In different jurisdictions
this could include governmentappointed medical practitioners,
private medical personnel, or psychologists. In some
countries, victims of crime requiring nursing care in
hospitals are cared for by nurses who have no specific
training regarding the special needs the patient may
have as a result of their victim status, and who do
not regard themselves as forensic nurses " (Evans
& Wells, 2001).
"How and why has this variation in the specialty
occurred, whereby forensic nurses in some countries
have well-defined roles that are not available to forensic
nurses elsewhere? Although in the past 10 years written
history about the role of forensic nursing has begun
to appear in some countries, this is not widespread,
even across the Western world. For example, in Australia,
where there is some written history regarding the development
of forensic services, the history of forensic nursing
is largely invisible" (Evans & Wells, 2001).
"Although a comprehensive international history
of forensic nursing is not yet available, at an international
level there is considerable diversity in forensic nursing
roles "(Evans & Wells, 2001).
|
Canada |
focus
points
|
|
Insert forensic
focus points here
International |
focus
points
|
|
"The International
Association of Forensic Nurses was founded in 1992 to promote
and develop forensic nursing. During the summer of 1992,
in Minneapolis, Minnesota, seventy-four nurses, primarily
sexual assault nurse examiners, came together to form the
International Association of Forensic Nurses. The vision
of this founding group was to develop an organization that
would encompass a wide and diverse body of those who practice
nursing within the arena of the law" (IAFN Newsletter,
1995).
"In 1995,
Forensic Nursing recognized as a specialty by the American
Nurses Association" (ANA, 1995; IAFN Newsletter, 1995).
By 1999 the
association had numbers over 2000 members.
United Kingdom |
focus
points
|
|
"It was
the medical model of the nineteenth century asylum, which
framed the emergence of mental health nursing. Instruction
and education for nurses, in this era, was circumscribed
by an intellectual climate of positivism, directed at a
scientific understanding, prediction and control of pathology."
"Trained nurses enhanced medial credibility but did
not progress the care of the mentally ill because their
training did not imply or encourage a questioning of the
positivist basis of psychiatric treatment" (Chung &
Nolan, 1994, p. 226; cited in Mason & Mercer, 1999,
p. 239).
"Forensic
nursing has now emerged as specialist professional territory
throughout the psychiatrised world" (Mason & Mercer,
1999, p. 236).
"A growing
body of literature testifies to the search for a professional
identity, yet ironically this has typically been at the
expense of professional practice" (Mason & Mercer,
1999, p. 236).
United States |
focus
points
|
|
1960-1970s -
"The civil rights movement and subsequent jailing of
civil rights activists began to focus attention of health
care delivery within correctional facilities" (Bernier,
1986, p. 20).
1930 - "Medical
services began to be provided in Federal Prisons" (Furman,
1973, cited in Hufft & Fawkes, 1994, p.36).
"Throughout
history, health care professionals have been called upon
to assist the legal system in the prosecution of cases where
patient care overlaps with the law or where the law and
physiological realities collide" (Lynch, 1995, p. 6).
"Nurses
have been recognized as a previously untapped resources
in the past 20 years. They have gained significant respect
from law and legal agencies. Nurses are becoming integral
partners in the new forensic systems" (Lynch, 1995,
p. 7-8).
1991 - "Forensic
nursing was formally recognized as a distinct discipline
- during the 1991 Annual Meeting of the American Academy
of Forensic Sciences in Anaheim, California" (Lynch,
1995).
Focus Points
Reference
Bernier, S. L.
(1986). Corrections and mental health. Journal of Psychosocial
Nursing and Mental Health Services, 24 (6), 20-25.
Evans, A. M.
& Wells, D. (2001). Scope of practice issues in forensic
nursing. Journal of Psychosocial Nursing & Mental
Health Services, 39(1), 38-45.
Hufft, A.G.,
& Fawkes, L. S. (1994). Federal inmates - A unique psychiatric
nursing challenge. Nursing Clinics of North America,
29 (1), 35-42.
Lynch, V. A.
(1995). Forensic Nursing: What's New? [Guest Editorial].
Journal of Psychosocial Nursing, 33 (9), 6-8.
Mason T. &
Mercer, D. (1999). Forensic psychiatric nursing. (Chapter
13) pp. 236-259. In M. Clinton, & S. Nelson (Ed). Advanced
Practice in Mental Health Nursing. Blackwell Science
Ltd: Oxford.
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C - Forensic Nursing > Section C.1.0. Forensic History > Unit.C.1.1.
Historical Firsts and Facts
