Assessing the health of prisoners in Europe

Among other issues, the database particularly intends to draw the attention on the prevalence of drug abuse within the target group.

Although the full database will only be available online as of July 2006, the first step of the project focuses on drug prevalence and entails a database on ‘data collection to develop an inventory of social and health policies, measures and actions concerning drug users in prison in the recently incorporated Member States to the EU’. This has been compiled by the Scientific Institute of the German Medical Association in cooperation with the WHO and EMCDDA.

It is worth noting that the EMCDDA has also carried out an ’inventory of European social and health policies, measures and actions concerning drug users in prisons’, looking at the ’old’ 15 Member States.

It aims to provide information on prison demographics and capacity, the legal status of prisoners, the influx and the staff profile. It also collects epidemiological data on the prevalence of infectious diseases (especially HIV-AIDS, hepatitis, tuberculosis and sexually transmitted diseases), as well as draws mental health indicators.

 EMCDDA project on assistance to drug users in prison