Why people living and working in detention facilities should be included in national COVID-19 vaccination plans: advocacy brief (2021)

Developed by WHO Health in Prisons Programme (HIPP), United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) and Penal Reform International (PRI), the advocacy brief calls for the inclusion of people living and working in prisons in COVID-19 national vaccination plans and highlights the evidence of enhanced risk of congregate living, aggravated by several environmental factors, including overcrowding, water sanitation, and limited access to fresh air. It also touches on inequalities in health status and unequal healthcare provision, including access to personal protective equipment and to testing. The brief presents key considerations and underlying principles for prison populations to be included in COVID-19 national vaccination plans.

This advocacy brief aims to reduce the inequalities in healthcare provision for all vulnerable groups to ensure full attainment of universal health coverage by leaving no one behind, and highlights that it is crucial for people living and working in prisons to be included in COVID-19 national vaccination plans.

The announcement of the launch of this brief was made during a Side event of the 30th regular session of the Commission on Narcotic Drugs and the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice, on "COVID-19 in prisons”, jointly organised by WHO HIPP, UNODC and PRI.