The Netherlands is paving the way for improved health services and prison policies.
“We need to remember that places of detention restrict freedom – but they shouldn’t ever compromise people’s access to quality health care. The Netherlands has been actively collaborating with WHO/Europe to improve its system and learn from the latest available data,” says Dr Filipa Alves da Costa, a public health consultant working for WHO/Europe’s Alcohol, Illicit Drugs and Prison Health Unit.
Mental health disorders remain the most prevalent health condition in detention facilities. Working together with WHO/Europe, the Netherlands is focusing on addressing mental health and other non-communicable diseases within prison walls. Currently, all prisons within the country allow access to mental health counsellors. Furthermore, the Dutch prison system provides myriad opportunities for education, training, and employment within prisons. Various organizations responsible for these improved health services within Dutch prisons recently came together to host an international conference entitled “Mental Health and Well-Being in Detention Centers: Prison Health is Public Health.” This conference is intended to help Member States implement similar policies within local prisons to improve mental and physical health services for detainees across the bloc.
