Healthcare policy in prison should be integrated into, and compatible with, national health
policy. Doctors in prison should provide the same standards of health care as in the community;
The prison health care service should have a sufficient number of qualified medical, nursing and
technical staff, as well as appropriate premises, installations and equipment of a quality
comparable, if not identical, to those which exist in the outside environment. Prison doctors
should be able to call upon specialists in case such specialists do not work in prison;
The isolation of a patient with an infectious condition is only justified if such a measure would
also be taken outside the prison environment for the same medical reasons. Patients, who need
to be protected from the infectious illnesses transmitted by other patients, should be isolated
only if such a measure is necessary for their own sake to prevent them acquiring intercurrent
infections, particularly in those cases where their immune system is seriously impaired;
The possibility of a pardon for medical reasons or early release should be examined for persons
who are unsuited for continued detention due to serious physical handicap, advanced age or
short-term fatal prognosis;
Particular attention shall be paid to the health of inmates held under conditions of solitary
confinement, including daily visits and provision with prompt medical assistance and treatment
at the request of such inmates or the prison staff;
The medical practitioner shall report to the director whenever it is considered that an inmate's
physical or mental health is being put seriously at risk by continued imprisonment or by any
condition of imprisonment, including conditions of solitary confinement;
The medical practitioner shall regularly inspect, collect information by other means if
appropriate, and advise the director upon the quantity, quality, preparation and serving of food
and water; the hygiene and cleanliness of the institution and inmates; the sanitation, heating,
lighting and ventilation of the institution; and the suitability and cleanliness of the inmates’
clothing and bedding;
Sick inmates who require specialist treatment shall be transferred to specialised institutions or
to civil hospitals, when such treatment is not available in prison;
Where a prison service has its own hospital facilities, they shall be adequately staffed and
equipped to provide the inmates referred to them with appropriate care and treatment.
Communication and visits may be subject to restrictions and monitoring necessary for the
requirements of continuing criminal investigations, maintenance of good order, safety and
security, prevention of criminal offences and protection of victims of crime, but such restrictions,
including specific restrictions ordered by a judicial authority, shall nevertheless allow an
acceptable minimum level of contact. Prison authorities shall assist inmates in maintaining
adequate contact with the outside world and provide them with the appropriate welfare
support to do so;
In case of death or serious illness of, or serious injury to an inmate, or the transfer of an inmate
to a hospital, the authorities shall, unless the inmate has requested them not to do so,
immediately inform the spouse or partner of the inmate, or, if the inmate is single, the nearest
relative and any other person previously designated by the inmate;
When release is pre-arranged, the inmate shall be offered a medical examination as close as
possible to the time of release. During such an examination particular attention shall be paid to:
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