The collection of health data on prisoners in Australia is
sporadic, inconsistent and incomplete, according to a new report
released by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare today in
Sydney at the 33rd Public Health Association conference.
A Prisoner Health Information System shows there were
approximately 50,000 people in Australia's prisons last year, yet
there were no national standards or agreements in place to collect
information about their health.
Head of the AIHW's Population Health Unit, Paul Jelfs, said that
monitoring prisoner health would help to find areas for
improvement, evaluate health care services, disability and other
support programs and assist in planning.
'This kind of information is important for public health, both
within prisons and for the Australian community, Dr Jelfs said.
'Inmates form a closed community within which health problems,
like communicable diseases, can be readily created or transmitted.
Poor prisoner health may also affect the health of the wider
community upon prisoner release or by transmission to visitors or
prison staff.
'Good, reliable information about the state of health among
prisoners could also help to assess differences in health care
between prisons, prison systems or prison providers.'
The report recommends setting up a steering committee to oversee
the development of a prisoner health information system. Such a
system could incorporate a range of data collection methods such as
admissions/reception data, annual medical examinations, medical
records, hospital separations, communicable disease notifications
and national surveys.
'A system of this kind requires agreements among Commonwealth
and State and Territory governments, participation from both the
prison and health sectors, and significant infrastructure,' Dr
Jelfs said.
26 September 2001
Further information: Dr Paul Jelfs, AIHW, tel.
02 6244 1145 or
tel: 0407 283 109 (mobile)
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 02 244 1032
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for availability.