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Prisoner health status at three rural Haitian prisons

Katherine LaMonaca (Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA)
Mayur Desai (Yale School of Public Health, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA)
John P. May (Health Through Walls, North Miami, Florida, USA)
Evan Lyon (Heartland Health Outreach, Chicago, Illinois, USA)
Frederick L. Altice (Yale School of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, Connecticut, USA)

International Journal of Prisoner Health

ISSN: 1744-9200

Article publication date: 10 September 2018

143

Abstract

Purpose

Little is known about the health status of prisoners in low-income countries. In Haiti, prisons typically lack adequate medical care, clean water and food, though some prisoners receive additional food from visitors. The purpose of this paper is to characterize the physical and mental health of Haitian prisoners in three select prisons and examine the effects of having visitors and length of detention on health status. The authors hypothesized that prisoners with more visitors and shorter detention times would have better overall health status.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors conducted a cross-sectional study of 290 male inmates in three regional prisons in Haiti. Data were collected on prisoners’ sociodemographic characteristics, number of visitors, length of detention, body mass index (BMI), self-reported physical and mental health status, and food insecurity.

Findings

Overall, prisoners at all three prisons had poor health outcomes. Prisoners with more visitors were significantly less likely to be underweight and more likely to have a higher BMI, better self-reported physical function and lower levels of food insecurity. The length of incarceration was negatively associated with physical function and self-rated health, but positively associated with BMI. These results suggest that prisoners who do not receive supplemental food from visitors are at increased risk for food insecurity and poor nutritional and physical health status.

Originality/value

These findings demonstrate the importance of supplemental food from visitors in stabilizing prisoner health in Haiti and emphasize the need for the provision of adequate nutrition to all prisoners. This study also suggests that policies that reduce incarceration times could improve health status among prisoners.

Keywords

Acknowledgements

First, the authors would like to specially thank all of the prisoners who participated in the health survey, as well as to the survey translators and administrators. Many individuals and organizations provided valuable resources and support, including the Haitian Prison Administration Department, and Dr Ernst Jerome, Bureau des Avocats Internationaux, The Institute for Justice & Democracy in Haiti, Health Through Walls and Madame Michelle Karshan, and Partners In Health. The authors would also like to thank the Wilbur G. Downs International Student Health Travel Fellowship Committee, the Office of Student Research at the Yale School of Medicine and the National Institute on Drug Abuse (K24 DA017072 for FLA) for making this research possible.

Citation

LaMonaca, K., Desai, M., May, J.P., Lyon, E. and Altice, F.L. (2018), "Prisoner health status at three rural Haitian prisons", International Journal of Prisoner Health, Vol. 14 No. 3, pp. 197-209. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-02-2017-0010

Publisher

:

Emerald Publishing Limited

Copyright © 2018, Emerald Publishing Limited

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