Human Rights and Prisons - Rethinking Crime and Punishment

6. Health Services
Law and policy framework
Prisoners are entitled to receive medical treatment that is reasonably
necessary; the standard of health care must also be reasonably equivalent to
that available to the general public (s75). Section 49 of the Corrections Act
requires that every prisoner is assessed promptly after reception to identify
any immediate physical or mental health, safety, or security needs.
Regulations 71-81 contain further details of health care requirements,
including dental services.
6.1 Health Needs of Prisoners
It is clear that prisoners have a higher number of health related issues than
the general population. As prisoners come predominantly from those who are
poor, their health reflects their disadvantage (Keve, 1974; National Health
Committee, 2008). At an international level, it is known that people arrive at
prisons with histories of abuse (physical, sexual and emotional), poor diets
(that have been long-established), poor dental health, mental health problems,
previous neglect of health, and untended injuries (National Health Committee,
2008).
Many prisoners will enter the estate with existing and sometimes chronic
health problems. In New Zealand, the Prisoner Health Survey (Ministry of
Health, 2006) highlighted that:
Over half of prisoners were overweight or obese;
More than half reported a previous diagnosis of a chronic condition,
such as asthma;
Two-thirds were smokers;
Almost half had experienced tooth pain in the previous month;
One in three had a history of at least one communicable disease (STIs,
scabies, hepatitis, tuberculosis);
Almost two-thirds had previously suffered at least one head-injury.
Literature has also indicated that prisoners have significantly elevated mental
health problems compared to community members – in particular, with
regards to post-traumatic stress disorder, bipolar mood disorder,
schizophrenic disorders, major depressive episodes and obsessive
compulsive disorder (Brinded et al, 2001; Department of Corrections, 1999;
National Health Committee, 2008).
In 1999, the National Study of Psychiatric Morbidity (Simpson et al, 1999)
indicated that:
Approximately 90% prisoners had substance/ dependency issues;
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