Patient or Prisoner: Does it matter which Government Ministry is responsible for the health of prisoners?

The work of the WHO Health and Prisons Project over the last 15 years has demonstrated the importance of health as a key area in managing the prison setting effectively, to the benefit of both prisoners and society in general. This briefing paper for Network Members provides a brief examination of rationale for, and experience of, integrating prison health services with public health services,and moving health care for prisoners out of the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Justice and into the Ministry of Health.