Penal reform group calls for monitoring of infectious diseases in prison

Prison health monitoring and inspection mechanisms should track the prevalence of infectious diseases in Irish prisons, the Irish Penal Reform Trust (IPRT) has said.

A new IPRT report, Improving Prison Conditions by Strengthening the Monitoring of HIV, HCV, TB and Harm Reduction ~ Mapping Report on Ireland, calls for a comprehensive review of prison health services to ensure that public health and human rights standards are being met.

The report forms part of an EU co-funded project led by Harm Reduction International.

It identifies the inextricable links between social exclusion, drug usage, crime and prison, and finds that the transient nature of the prison population, both within the prison system and upon release back into the community, means that “every attempt” must be made to ensure continuity of care for those diagnosed with infectious diseases in prison.

Other key recommendations from the report include: the need for transparent procedures around monitoring of infectious diseases in prison, including the publication of prevalence data; and the need for expansion of harm reduction approaches in prison, including needle exchange programmes, found to eliminate new outbreaks of blood-borne viruses in prisons, and provision of Naloxone to individuals at high-risk of opioid overdose on release from prison.

Speaking in advance of the report’s launch, IPRT executive director Deirdre Malone said: “The nature of imprisonment and the transience of the prison population, both within prisons and upon release into the community, pose specific challenges to the prevention, screening and treatment of infectious diseases like HIV, HCV and TB.

“As well as ensuring that effective monitoring of infectious diseases is included in regular inspection mechanisms, a whole-system review of the prison healthcare service is urgently required to ensure that the Service is capable of meeting the wide range of complex physical and mental health needs in prison.

“The urgent need for a comprehensive review of prison healthcare has previously been identified by the Inspector of Prisoners, and also by the European Committee for the Prevention of Torture (CPT), which found the healthcare service in some Irish Prisons to be in ‘a state of crisis’ on its most recent visit to Ireland.

“Imprisonment by its nature exacerbates mental and physical health issues, while substandard or overcrowded conditions can contribute to the transmission of diseases. It is crucial that failings in prison health monitoring and healthcare provision does not cultivate more serious problems for the community in future.”