About this Research Topic
Globally more than 10 million persons are held in correctional facilities on a given day, with considerable variation between countries. In Europe, as globally, most people in prisons belong to socially deprived communities, with an increasing proportion of migrants and persons with minority ethnic backgrounds.
Due to the cumulative effect of socio-behavioral risks and additional risk factors intrinsic to the prison environment, people in prison have a higher prevalence of infection for a number of diseases for which data are available (e.g. HIV, HBV, HCV, syphilis, gonorrhea, tuberculosis), as well as of non-communicable diseases and mental health conditions compared with the general population. People in prison are also at increased vulnerability to diseases with outbreak potential in custodial settings, e.g. flu, meningococcal disease and SARS-CoV2. People who inject drugs form a large part of the imprisoned population, with prevalence of substance abuse and dependence, although highly variable, typically many orders of magnitude higher than in the general population, particularly for women. The increased burden of disease among people in prisons is recognized as a major issue for the health of both people living and working in prisons and also for the general population, as the vast majority of people in prisons return to their communities after short periods of incarceration.
Intervening in detention settings with appropriate and tailored interventions does impact on the health and wellbeing of the entire community, and in particular of the vulnerable and socially deprived groups of our society. In fact, effective healthcare interventions in detention settings have proven to generate health benefits accruing in the general community, a phenomenon referred to as “community dividend”. Therefore, prisons may offer an opportunity for people who often come from disadvantaged, isolated and difficult to reach communities to access healthcare services and quality preventive care, in line with objectives set forth by the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 3 (Good health and wellbeing) and SDG 10 (Reduce inequalities).
Yet, only recently has prison health become a topic of relevance in the global public health agenda, thanks to HCV elimination efforts and now SARS-CoV2. However, challenges in conducting research in prison and other detention settings are multiple, such as competing priorities, lack of interest among staff operating in prison as well as among donors or public institutions responsible for healthcare provision, lack of trust among people in prison and rapid turnover of detained individuals. On the other hand, building a robust evidence-base on healthcare interventions delivered in detention settings is essential to guide evidence-based decision-making and service implementation processes and to ultimately contribute to improve quality and effectiveness of prison health.
In this Research Topic, we welcome authors to submit Original Research, Review, Clinical Trial, and Perspective articles addressing the issue of prison health from a public health stance, including:
• Epidemiological studies on burden of disease in prison and other detention settings;
• Preventive and therapeutic healthcare interventions delivered in prison and other detention settings tackling communicable, non-communicable diseases and mental health;
• Vaccination services implemented in prison and other detention settings;
• Infection prevention and control interventions in prison and other detention settings, including outbreak investigation;
• Organization of healthcare services in detention settings;
• Health status and needs of special groups in detention, including migrants, people who inject drugs and gender minorities;
• Transitional care.
Abstract submissions are encouraged, however contributors may submit manuscripts without abstract submission.
Due to the cumulative effect of socio-behavioral risks and additional risk factors intrinsic to the prison environment, people in prison have a higher prevalence of infection for a number of diseases for which data are available (e.g. HIV, HBV, HCV, syphilis, gonorrhea, tuberculosis), as well as of non-communicable diseases and mental health conditions compared with the general population. People in prison are also at increased vulnerability to diseases with outbreak potential in custodial settings, e.g. flu, meningococcal disease and SARS-CoV2. People who inject drugs form a large part of the imprisoned population, with prevalence of substance abuse and dependence, although highly variable, typically many orders of magnitude higher than in the general population, particularly for women. The increased burden of disease among people in prisons is recognized as a major issue for the health of both people living and working in prisons and also for the general population, as the vast majority of people in prisons return to their communities after short periods of incarceration.
Intervening in detention settings with appropriate and tailored interventions does impact on the health and wellbeing of the entire community, and in particular of the vulnerable and socially deprived groups of our society. In fact, effective healthcare interventions in detention settings have proven to generate health benefits accruing in the general community, a phenomenon referred to as “community dividend”. Therefore, prisons may offer an opportunity for people who often come from disadvantaged, isolated and difficult to reach communities to access healthcare services and quality preventive care, in line with objectives set forth by the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular SDG 3 (Good health and wellbeing) and SDG 10 (Reduce inequalities).
Yet, only recently has prison health become a topic of relevance in the global public health agenda, thanks to HCV elimination efforts and now SARS-CoV2. However, challenges in conducting research in prison and other detention settings are multiple, such as competing priorities, lack of interest among staff operating in prison as well as among donors or public institutions responsible for healthcare provision, lack of trust among people in prison and rapid turnover of detained individuals. On the other hand, building a robust evidence-base on healthcare interventions delivered in detention settings is essential to guide evidence-based decision-making and service implementation processes and to ultimately contribute to improve quality and effectiveness of prison health.
In this Research Topic, we welcome authors to submit Original Research, Review, Clinical Trial, and Perspective articles addressing the issue of prison health from a public health stance, including:
• Epidemiological studies on burden of disease in prison and other detention settings;
• Preventive and therapeutic healthcare interventions delivered in prison and other detention settings tackling communicable, non-communicable diseases and mental health;
• Vaccination services implemented in prison and other detention settings;
• Infection prevention and control interventions in prison and other detention settings, including outbreak investigation;
• Organization of healthcare services in detention settings;
• Health status and needs of special groups in detention, including migrants, people who inject drugs and gender minorities;
• Transitional care.
Abstract submissions are encouraged, however contributors may submit manuscripts without abstract submission.
Keywords: detention settings, health inequalities, prison population, transitional care, health care services
Important Note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.
