ESRC PhD Researcher in Public Health, Centre for Public Health & Wellbeing, University of the West of England (UWE Bristol), Frenchay Campus, Coldharbour Lane, Bristol, UK.
J Public Health (Oxf). 2020 Aug 18;42(3):625-632. doi: 10.1093/pubmed/fdz058.
Prisons offer policymakers an opportunity to address the pre-existing high prevalence of physical and mental health issues among prisoners. This notion has been widely integrated into international and national prison health policies, including the Healthy Prisons Agenda, which calls for governments to address the health needs of prisoners and safeguard their health entitlement during imprisonment, and the Sustainable Development Goals 2030 concerning reducing inequality among disadvantaged populations. However, the implementation of the austerity policy in the United Kingdom since the re-emergence of the global financial crisis in 2008 has impeded this aspiration. This interdisciplinary paper critically evaluates the impact of austerity on prison health. The aforementioned policy has obstructed prisoners' access to healthcare, exacerbated the degradation of their living conditions, impeded their purposeful activities and subjected them to an increasing level of violence. This paper calls for alternatives to imprisonment, initiating a more informed economic recovery policy, and relying on transnational and national organizations to scrutinize prisoners' entitlement to health. These systemic solutions could act as a springboard for political and policy discussions at national and international forums with regard to improving prisoners' health and simultaneously meeting the aspirations of the Healthy Prisons Agenda and the Sustainable Development Goals.
监狱为政策制定者提供了一个机会，可以解决囚犯中先前存在的身心健康问题高发的问题。这一观念已广泛纳入国际和国家监狱卫生政策，包括《健康监狱议程》，该议程呼吁政府解决囚犯的健康需求，保障他们在监禁期间的健康权益，以及 2030 年可持续发展目标中有关减少弱势人群不平等的问题。然而，自 2008 年全球金融危机再次出现以来，英国实施的紧缩政策阻碍了这一愿望的实现。本文从跨学科的角度批判性地评估了紧缩政策对监狱健康的影响。上述政策阻碍了囚犯获得医疗保健的机会，加剧了他们生活条件的恶化，阻碍了他们有目的的活动，并使他们面临越来越多的暴力。本文呼吁用替代监禁的方法，启动一个更明智的经济复苏政策，并依靠跨国组织和国家组织来审查囚犯的健康权益。这些系统性的解决方案可以作为在国家和国际论坛上进行政治和政策讨论的跳板，以改善囚犯的健康状况，同时实现《健康监狱议程》和 2030 年可持续发展目标的愿望。
