TY - JOUR
T1 - The health of prisoners
AU - Fazel, Seena
AU - Baillargeon, Jacques
N1 - Funding Information:
SF is supported by a HEFCE Clinical Senior Lectureship award. We are grateful to Clare Stockdale for preparation of figures on prisoner numbers and rates; to Sophia Anwar, Gwen Baillargeon, and Simon Wilson for helpful comments on previous drafts; and to Leonard Pechacek for editorial assistance.
PY - 2011
Y1 - 2011
N2 - More than 10 million people are incarcerated worldwide; this number has increased by about a million in the past decade. Mental disorders and infectious diseases are more common in prisoners than in the general population. High rates of suicide within prison and increased mortality from all causes on release have been documented in many countries. The contribution of prisons to illness is unknown, although shortcomings in treatment and aftercare provision contribute to adverse outcomes. Research has highlighted that women, prisoners aged 55 years and older, and juveniles present with higher rates of many disorders than do other prisoners. The contribution of initiatives to improve the health of prisoners by reducing the burden of infectious and chronic diseases, suicide, other causes of premature mortality and violence, and counteracting the cycle of reoffending should be further examined.
AB - More than 10 million people are incarcerated worldwide; this number has increased by about a million in the past decade. Mental disorders and infectious diseases are more common in prisoners than in the general population. High rates of suicide within prison and increased mortality from all causes on release have been documented in many countries. The contribution of prisons to illness is unknown, although shortcomings in treatment and aftercare provision contribute to adverse outcomes. Research has highlighted that women, prisoners aged 55 years and older, and juveniles present with higher rates of many disorders than do other prisoners. The contribution of initiatives to improve the health of prisoners by reducing the burden of infectious and chronic diseases, suicide, other causes of premature mortality and violence, and counteracting the cycle of reoffending should be further examined.
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U2 - 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61053-7
DO - 10.1016/S0140-6736(10)61053-7
M3 - Review article
C2 - 21093904
AN - SCOPUS:79952490502
SN - 0140-6736
VL - 377
SP - 956
EP - 965
JO - The Lancet
JF - The Lancet
IS - 9769
ER -