Almost one third of prisoners in the World Health Organization Europe region are suffering from mental health disorders, according to a new report.
The *Second status report on prison health* in the WHO European Region analyses data from the 36 countries in the area. It finds that while the responses to COVID-19 in prisons is generally good, there is concern about overcrowding and a lack of services for mental health.
The survey, conducted in 2021, took a retrospective look at the previous year and found in 2020 there were 613,497 prisoners in the 36 countries surveyed – a drop of about 6.6% compared to 2019, mainly due to COVID-19 measures.
Mental health disorders affected 32.8% of people in prison, but the report says this is likely to be significantly under-reported because most non-communicable diseases were poorly recorded and estimates were lower than expected, while fewer than half of the countries surveyed provided data.
The most common cause of death in prisons was suicide, with rates far higher than in the wider community.
One in five member states reported overcrowding and the report urges them to consider alternative non-custodial measures for offences that do not present a high risk to society and where more effective measures exist, such as diversion to treatment for drug use disorders.
When it came to vaccination, 16.7% of member states did not offer protection against hepatitis B or diphtheria–tetanus–pertussis (DTP) in any prisons, both of which are recommended for all people on admission.
Dr Hans Henri Kluge, regional director of the WHO Regional Office for Europe, said: “Prisons are embedded in communities and investments made in the health of people in prison becomes a community dividend. Incarceration should never become a sentence to poorer health. All citizens are entitled to good-quality health care regardless of their legal status.
“Crucially, the WHO Health in Prisons European Database monitors the health of people in prison so we can assess prison health systems, which are part of overall health systems, and identify areas that need strengthening. When prisons are excluded from the general health system, local communities can be the hardest hit.”
Dr Carina Ferreira-Borges, regional advisor for Alcohol, Illicit Drugs and Prison Health said, “The issue of overcrowding in prisons evident in this report is an important reminder of our over-reliance on incarceration and the need for alternatives.”
She said supporting people released from prison to reintegrate in the community and access the health services can reduce the likelihood of reoffending.
“Ministries of health play a critical role in protecting the basic human right to health. This report highlights the value of a health and human rights focused approach in dealing with offenders, providing important insights into the specific steps that can be taken to improve our systems, for people in prison and for all of society.”
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