Criminal Justice & Health Care Reform

“The way health care is administered in Canadian correctional institutions has led to a parallel, but unequal system of care for one of society’s most marginalized populations. With mounting evidence that inmates experience high morbidity and mortality, the inadequate delivery of health care within prisons only exacerbates the consequences of incarceration and the social determinants of health. Despite increasing health expenditures across provinces and territories and health care innovation occurring outside of the prison system, corrections services have often failed to protect the health of inmates. More troublingly, the current governance of health care in prisons under the CCRA is incongruent with the Minimum Standards of Care for Prisoners set out by the United Nations, of which Canada has been a committed member. The aforementioned guidelines describe that health care provision should be under the jurisdiction of health systems, rather than the justice system, to protect prisoners’ well-being. The poor health outcomes of inmates are directly related to administrative challenges, poor human resourcing, and lack of prioritization of preventative medicine and public health. As highlighted above, health care delivery in Ontario prisons is currently inequitable and of poor quality. Therefore, we believe that it is critical that the OMSA promote the issue of prison health care as both an advocacy and educational priority for Ontario medical students.”

Learn more on Health Care Reform in Canadian Corrections Facilities via Ontario Medical Students Association.

This topic recently addressed also in Criminal Justice Reform Is Health Care Reform via JAMA.