RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Leaving no one behind in prison: improving the health of people in prison as a key contributor to meeting the Sustainable Development Goals 2030
JF BMJ Global Health
JO BMJ Global Health
FD BMJ Publishing Group Ltd
SP e004252
DO 10.1136/bmjgh-2020-004252
VO 6
IS 3
A1 Nasrul Ismail
A1 Audrey Lazaris
A1 Éamonn O'Moore
A1 Emma Plugge
A1 Sunita Stürup-Toft
YR 2021
UL http://gh.bmj.com/content/6/3/e004252.abstract
AB Worldwide, approximately 11 million people are currently being held in prison, a number that has steadily grown since the turn of the 21st century. The prison population is more likely to suffer from physical and mental ailments both during and prior to their imprisonment due to poverty, social exclusion and chaotic lifestyles. Recognition of people in prison is noticeably absent from the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), despite the goals’ ethos of ‘leaving no one behind’.We present the first analysis of how improving the health of people in prison can contribute to achieving 15 SDGs. Relevant indicators are proposed to fulfil these goals while meeting the existing international prison health standards. We also assess the political, economic and social challenges, alongside the unparalleled COVID-19 pandemic that can thwart the realisation of the SDGs. To reach the ‘furthest behind first’, prison health must be at the forefront of the SDGs.