Health in Prisons Project Establishing a Monitoring Mechanism on Prison Health Indicators and Health Determinants Working Party on Information on Lifestyle.

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

Establishing a Monitoring Mechanism on Prison Health Indicators and Health

Determinants

Working Party on Information on Lifestyle and Specific Subpopulations

Luxembourg, 14 May 2008

Brenda van den Bergh

World Health Organization

Regional Office for Europe

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

WHO Health in Prisons Project

• Launched in 1995

• Purpose: ‘to support Member States in improving public health by addressing health and health care in prisons, and to facilitate the links between prison health and public health systems both at national and international levels’

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

Strategic objectives

• Establishing integration of prison health into the public health system

• Encouraging prisons to work within codes of human rights and medical ethics

• Contributing to rehabilitation and resettlement and giving social support

• Reducing exposure to communicable diseases• Reaching prison health service equivalent to

society

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ctActivities WHO Health in Prisons

Project

• Annual Conference and network meeting

• Publications/ resolutions- Prisons and Mental Health- Prisons and Women’s Health

• Country activities

• Best Practice Awards

• Prison Health Database

• WHO guide to the essentials in prison health

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

WP Project and partners

The WP project started officially September

2005 with grant from the Public Health

Programme

Partners involved:• EMCDDA• ENDIPP

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

Activities WP Project

• To establish an information/surveillance system on prison health, leading to a greater understanding of the incidence/prevalence and spread of disease and ill-health in prisons and between prisons and the society.

• To establish an European Network of national experts on prison health in order to facilitate the implementation of a data collection procedure.

• To support and encourage EU Member States, applicant and neighbouring countries to implement a system to monitor prison health.

• To develop evidence-based guidance on cost-effective disease control and health promotion in prisons as part of national strategies for public health protection and promotion.

• To develop an early warning system on communicable diseases and changes in psychotropic drug use in prisons in order to protect public health.

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

Outcome

• Prison Health Database

• Network of Experts

• Prison Health Manual

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

1. Prison Health Database

The Prison Health Database was developed to:

• Be able to compare public health with prison health

To put focus on special health conditions in prison

• Increase the knowledge of prison health and prison health trends

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

Importance of database

The database will be used to:

• Obtain an overview of the health situation in prisons and the organization, practice and quality control of assistance to prisoners in Europe

• Make individual country recommendations• Compare countries• Develop evidence-based guidance on cost-

effective disease control and health promotion in prison

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

Contribution to ECHIM indicators

• 3 indicators recommended for inclusion in ECHIM shortlist:- prison population rate- number of prisoners on substitution

treatment- number of suicides in prison

• Some ECHIM indicators included in Prison Health indicators list, specifically for prison population (e.g. HIV/AIDS incidence, suicide attempts)

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

Where are we now?

• December 2007: first annual report for EC

• Invitations EU Member States not in network yet

• Increase data availability• Review process with EMCDDA• August 2008: grant from Public Health

Programme ends

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

Internet address

http://data.euro.who.int/hip

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

2. Network of Experts

36 Member States are actively involved (20 EU):

• 14 from West Europe:• Austria, Belgium, Finland, France, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Malta,

Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, United Kingdom (England, Wales and Scotland)

• 13 from Central Europe:• Albania, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania,

Latvia, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia

• 9 from East Europe:• Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Russian

Federation, Tajikistan, Ukraine, Uzbekistan

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

3. Prison Health Manual

• ‘Health in Prisons: A WHO guide to the essentials in prison health’

• Published in May 2007, launched in The Netherlands

• Translated into Russian, Farsi, Italian, Chinese, Polish, Albanian

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

Hea

lth

in

Pri

son

s P

roje

ct

Website:

http://www.euro.who.int/prisons

Contact details:

Lars Møller

[email protected]

Brenda van den Bergh

[email protected]