A mixed funding approach can help meet the urgent requirement for a level of health care in prison commensurate with need and equivalent to community standards
Consistent with global literature,1 prisoners in Australia experience profound health disparities relative to those who have not been incarcerated, with a disproportionate burden of mental illness, chronic and communicable diseases.2,3 Many prisoners have complex histories of disadvantage encompassing family violence, unstable housing, limited education, unemployment and economic adversity. Risky health-related behaviours including smoking, illicit drug use, harmful alcohol consumption and unsafe sexual practices are common in incarcerated populations.2
The full article is accessible to AMA members and paid subscribers. Login to read more or purchase a subscription now.
Please note: institutional and Research4Life access to the MJA is now provided through Wiley Online Library.
- 1. Fazel S, Baillargeon J. The health of prisoners. Lancet 2011; 377: 956-965.
- 2. Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The health of Australia’s prisoners 2012. Canberra: AIHW, 2013. (AIHW Cat. No. PHE 170.) http://www.aihw.gov.au/WorkArea/DownloadAsset.aspx?id=60129543945 (accessed Sep 2015).
- 3. Butler T, Andrews G, Allnutt S, et al. Mental disorders in Australian prisoners: A comparison with a community sample. Aust N Z J Psychiatry 2006; 40: 272-276.
- 4. Lines R. From equivalence of standards to equivalence of objectives: The entitlement of prisoners to health care standards higher than those outside prisons. Int J Prison Health 2006; 2: 269-280.
- 5. Australian Medical Association. Position statement on health and the criminal justice system 2012. https://ama.com.au/position-statement/health-and-criminal-justice-system-2012 (accessed Sep 2015).
- 6. Public Health Association of Australia. Prisoner health policy. https://www.phaa.net.au/documents/item/239 (accessed Sep 2015).
- 7. Parliament of Australia. Hansard. House of Representatives, 29 November 1973 (Bill Hayden).
- 8. Biggs A. Medicare – background brief. 29 Oct 2004. Canberra: Parliament of Australia. http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/Publications_Archive/archive/medicare (accessed Sep 2105).
- 9. Parliament of Australia. Hansard. House of Representatives, 20 May 1976 (Ralph Hunt).
- 10. Møller L, Stöver H, Jürgens R, et al, editors. Health in prisons: a WHO guide to the essentials in prison health. Copenhagen: World Health Organization Europe, 2007. http://www.euro.who.int/__data/assets/pdf_file/0009/99018/E90174.pdf (accessed Sep 2015).
- 11. Kinner SA, Streitberg L, Butler T, et al. Prisoner and ex-prisoner health. Improving access to primary care. Aust Fam Physician 2012; 41: 535-537.
- 12. Indig D, McEntyre E, Page J, Ross B. 2009 NSW inmate health survey: Aboriginal health report. Sydney: Justice Health, 2010. http://www.justicehealth.nsw.gov.au/publications/inmate-health-survey-aboriginal-health-report.pdf (accessed Sep 2015).
- 13. Hayman NE, White NE, Spurling GK. Improving Indigenous patients’ access to mainstream health services: the Inala experience. Med J Aust 2009; 190: 604-606. <MJA full text>
- 14. Queensland Government, Department of Health and Ageing. Medicare billing for primary care in small rural hospitals: COAG section 19(2) exemption for non-admitted services April 2007. Queensland statewide guidelines for implementation. http://www.rdaq.com.au/Portals/RDAQ/Documents/Reports/Coag19fowebsite.pdf (accessed Sep 2015).
- 15. Bailie J, Schierhout GH, Kelaher MA, et al. Follow-up of Indigenous-specific health assessments — a socioecological analysis. Med J Aust 2014; 200: 653-657. <MJA full text>
This study was partially funded by a National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) Indigenous offender health capacity building grant “From Broome to Berrima: Building Australia-wide research capacity in Indigenous offender health and health care delivery” (533546). Stuart Kinner holds an NHMRC Senior Research Fellowship (1078168).
No relevant disclosures.