Oral

All too often prisons increase public health dangers in society rather than safety. Prisons in the US and Europe have fueled the Hepatitis C epidemic by ignoring important opportunities for meaningful interventions to quell the crisis. Russian prisons are central to the MDR TB epidemic there. Overcrowding, idleness and despair in many penal systems including the US provoke violence behind the walls and in our communities. This session will explore from an international perspective various ways societies use prisons. Members of the WHO Health in Prison Project will illustrate important strategies for prison reform including some of the best practice solutions to the problems of infectious disease, mental health, rehabilitation and community resettlement, as well as policy development and implementation throughout greater Europe. Experience over a decade has underlined the importance of a human rights based management approach for prison throughout the globe and the essential need to include the special needs of prisons in national and local public health strategies for the prevention and control of serious diseases. Without this, prisons will remain a danger to the public’s health.

Session Objectives: 1. Be able to describe the various ways nations use prisons. 2. Be able to list ways prisons contribute to the public's health, or become dangerous. 3. Understand the policy and programatic pitfalls and successes of WHO's Health in Prison Project.

CE Credits: CME, Health Education (CHES), Nursing