Texas A&M law clinic helps inmates access medical care, gives students real-world experiences – Fort Worth Report

Report on the Texas A&M Medical Legal Partnership Clinic’s Contribution to Sustainable Development Goals

Program Overview and Alignment with SDG 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

The Texas A&M School of Law has established a Medical Legal Partnership clinic that provides pro bono legal services to female inmates at the Federal Prison Camp Bryan. This initiative directly supports the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal 16 (Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions) by ensuring access to justice for a vulnerable and marginalized population. The clinic assists women with disabilities and mental illnesses in navigating complex legal and administrative systems to obtain essential benefits, thereby promoting more effective, accountable, and inclusive institutions.

Addressing Health, Gender, and Social Inequalities (SDG 3, SDG 5, & SDG 10)

The clinic’s work is central to advancing several interconnected SDGs by focusing on the critical needs of incarcerated women, a group often facing significant disparities.

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being: The program ensures continuity of care for inmates with pre-existing conditions. By securing access to Medicare and disability benefits prior to release, the clinic facilitates uninterrupted access to psychiatric care, medication, and other necessary medical services, which is vital for maintaining stability and well-being post-incarceration.
• SDG 5: Gender Equality: By focusing exclusively on the needs of female inmates, the program addresses specific gender-related vulnerabilities within the justice system. It empowers these women by providing them with the legal tools and resources necessary for a more stable and equitable reintegration into society.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities: The clinic directly confronts inequalities by providing free legal representation to individuals who would otherwise lack the means to secure social protection benefits. This work helps to mitigate the economic and social disadvantages faced by formerly incarcerated persons, fostering greater inclusion.

Operational Framework and Program Objectives

The clinic operates with a clear, strategic framework designed to maximize its impact on client success and student learning. The primary objectives are aligned with long-term sustainable outcomes for the clients.

1. Timely Intervention: Students begin working with clients nine to twelve months prior to their scheduled release date to ensure applications for benefits are submitted and processed in a timely manner.
2. Securing Social Protections: The core mission is to secure disability payments and Medicare eligibility, providing a foundation of financial and healthcare stability for women upon their release.
3. Post-Release Continuity: Legal work on a case continues, if necessary, after the client’s release, demonstrating a commitment to achieving a successful outcome and ensuring the client’s long-term welfare.

Educational Model and Partnerships for the Goals (SDG 4 & SDG 17)

The clinic serves as an exemplary model of a multi-stakeholder partnership that simultaneously delivers quality education and advances sustainable development, reflecting the principles of SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).

• Experiential and Quality Education (SDG 4): The program provides law students with invaluable practical experience, moving beyond theoretical case studies to direct client interaction and case management. This clinical practicum teaches students the profound real-world impact of legal skills on individuals’ lives.
• Interdisciplinary Collaboration (SDG 17): The clinic operates under the umbrella of Texas A&M’s Institute for Healthcare Access and involves collaboration between law students and students from the Vashisht College of Medicine. This partnership allows medical students to learn how to prepare reports that meet legal standards, while law students learn to work effectively with medical professionals, creating a holistic support system for clients.
• Institutional Success: The demonstrated success and clear need for these services have resulted in the law school’s decision to formalize the program as a stand-alone clinic, ensuring its long-term sustainability and continued contribution to community well-being and justice.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

  The article directly addresses health by focusing on “federal inmates [who] have disabilities or mental illnesses.” The legal clinic’s purpose is to help these women access healthcare benefits like “Medicare” and receive support for “psychiatric care, psychological care, including medications that are necessary to maintain their stability.” This aligns with the goal of ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for all, especially for vulnerable populations.

• SDG 4: Quality Education

  The program is a “Medical Legal Partnership clinic” run by the “Texas A&M School of Law.” It serves as a practical educational tool where students “learn how to navigate the complexities of medical-related law” and “get to put a face on those cases.” The article highlights that the clinic gives students “practical experience” and helps them develop skills in dealing with clients and medical professionals, which is a form of quality tertiary and vocational training.

• SDG 5: Gender Equality

  The clinic’s services are specifically targeted at “women at a minimum-security prison.” By providing assistance to this specific gender group within a vulnerable population, the program aims to empower them and address their unique challenges, contributing to gender equality by ensuring they have the resources needed for a stable life after release.

• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

  The initiative provides “free legal help” to incarcerated women, a marginalized group that often faces significant barriers to accessing social and legal systems. By helping them obtain “disability checks and Medicare,” the clinic works to reduce economic and social inequalities, ensuring they are in the “best circumstances possible when they are released” and promoting their inclusion in society.

• SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

  The core function of the clinic is to provide “free legal help,” which directly relates to ensuring access to justice for all. The law school, as an institution, is actively working to bridge the justice gap for a vulnerable population. The program promotes the rule of law by helping inmates navigate legal processes to secure benefits they are entitled to.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

1. SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being

   • Target 3.4: Promote mental health and well-being. The article’s focus on inmates with “mental illnesses” and the provision of “psychiatric care, psychological care, including medications” directly supports this target.
   • Target 3.8: Achieve universal health coverage. The clinic’s work to help inmates apply for “Medicare” is a direct effort to ensure they have access to health coverage and essential healthcare services upon their release from prison.

2. SDG 4: Quality Education

   • Target 4.3: Ensure equal access for all women and men to affordable and quality technical, vocational and tertiary education, including university. The law school clinic provides quality, practical tertiary education for its students.
   • Target 4.4: Substantially increase the number of youth and adults who have relevant skills, including technical and vocational skills, for employment. The article states that students “learn how to deal with clients” and gain “practical experience,” which are relevant legal skills for future employment.

3. SDG 5: Gender Equality

   • Target 5.1: End all forms of discrimination against all women and girls everywhere. By focusing on incarcerated women, the program helps a group facing multiple layers of disadvantage overcome systemic barriers to accessing healthcare and social protection, which is a step toward addressing discriminatory outcomes.

4. SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities

   • Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic and political inclusion of all, irrespective of…disability…or other status. The program empowers incarcerated women with disabilities by securing benefits that facilitate their social and economic inclusion post-release.
   • Target 10.3: Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome. The clinic provides “free legal help” to ensure inmates have an equal opportunity to access the social protection systems (disability benefits, Medicare) available to other citizens.

5. SDG 16: Peace, Justice, and Strong Institutions

   • Target 16.3: Promote the rule of law…and ensure equal access to justice for all. The program is a direct implementation of this target by providing legal assistance to a marginalized group that might otherwise lack access to the justice system.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

The article does not mention official SDG indicators, but it provides information that can be used as practical, implied indicators to measure the program’s impact:

• Number of students participating in the program: The article explicitly states, “Eighteen students are working in the clinic this semester.” This can be used as an indicator for SDG 4 (Quality Education).
• Number of vulnerable persons receiving legal aid: The program provides “assistance to inmates at Federal Prison Camp Bryan.” The number of women served by the clinic would be a direct indicator for SDG 10 and SDG 16.
• Success rate of benefit applications: The goal is to help women obtain “disability checks and Medicare.” The number of successful applications submitted and approved is a key performance indicator for SDG 3 and SDG 10.
• Establishment and expansion of educational programs: The article notes that the program’s success led the law school to make it a “stand-alone clinic next spring,” indicating growth and institutional commitment, which is a qualitative indicator for SDG 4 and SDG 16.

4. Summary Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: fortworthreport.org