1. Women’s Health in Prison in the Northern Dimension Area
Thematic Report
NDPHS Expert Group on
Prison Health

2. Preparation Editorial Group Meetings/ Oslo-Karlstad
communication
Questionnaire for data collection (feedback from the EG PH members)
Desktop and archive research
Contact to photographers
Maps and graphs
Proof reading by a native speaker
Timeframe kept: October 2007-February 2008

3. Why Women’s Health in Prison?
Minority group – special needs often neglected
An extremely vulnerable group
Lack in documentation, data and research regarding living conditions and health status
Gender inequality in prison settings
More complex, interlinked health issues and social well-being needs; different from men
Female imprisonment affects children and the dependend family -> related consequences

4. Legal Background
Regulations on legal background to health services in prison, women’s
health in prison (incl. rights of children) and regulations to work and
education in prison:
The European Convention on Human Rights;
The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child;
The United Nations Convention on the Elimination of All forms of Discrimination Against Women;
The United Nations Body of Principles for the Protection of All Persons Under Any Form of Detention or Imprisonment;
The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights;
The Standard Minimum Rules for the Treatment of Prisoners;
The European Prison Rules, revised version (2006);
Recommendation 1469 (2000) on Mothers and Babies in Prison, adopted by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly;
The Council of Europe’s Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman Degrading Treatment or Punishment – The CPT standards.
Status of implementation in the ND countries?

5. Female prisoners in the ND area
5% of prison population in ND area is female
Organisation of medical health services differs throughout the region
HIV/ Aids
Pregnant HIV+ prisoners
Tuberculosis
Best practice models from the region

6. Female population in prison*
418 (2007)
341 (2007)
209
293 (Oct.2006)
4.061
2.720 6
245
2.144
1.700
211
(2008)
60.668
* total numbers of total prison population by 1 September 2006, if not indicated differently, also including pre-trial detainees.

7. Pregnant women and mothers in prison
Women pregnant or accompanied by children extremely vulnerable
Little awareness in public
Should not be imprisoned if not necessary
In practice from the region: Mother and Baby Units (MBUs)
Visiting regulations and best practice for visits from outside
Side view: Criminial behavior in youth – imprisonment as a family vicious circle

8. Number of MBUs in countries in the ND area2 1 1 1 8 50

9. Social rehabilitation
Education and vocational training major challenges for women: High unemployment rate before imprisonment, insufficient level of education, servere health problems
High rate of illiteracy
Inequality in access & offers to trainings and education programmes
Education as part of social rehabilitation ->involvement of the family needed
Improvement of key competences: endogenous, technical, social, risk and cognitive behavior
Best practice focus: Estonia
NGOs involvement essential for the succes of the social rehabilitation -> pre- and post release
Alternative measures for non-violent offences

10. Recommendations I
Social-economic background screening of every women entering the prison for the first time
Analysis of health-related prison reforms underway in prison systems across ND area, different types of reform/ types and measures
Analysis of the implementation of basic human rights, specifically in relation to social rights, economic rights and cultural rights for both genders, also incorporating the right to access to health care services
Study on the living conditions of female prisoners in general and the organisation of health care services for imprisoned women in particular

11. Recommendations II Project on birth companions
Influences on and consequences for the child’s development (accompanying the mother in prison or being outside of the prison)
Quantitative study across the ND Area and beyond, in order to collect quantitative data on women’s living conditions and their health status in prisons
Project which examines different models of peer education
Post-release study/project following-up on women’s rehabilitation after their release from prison, and especially the provision of health care and treatment initiated while in prison

12. Next steps
Presentation and dicussion of the results EG PH meeting 29-30th May in Riga, Latvia
Preparation for CSR, PAC and related side events; immersion of recommended project ideas and connection to new focus on indigenous people
-> Indigenous People in prison?
Planning of the Thematic Report 2008/ 2009