Title: 2025 – 8 billion people; 11.5 million prisoners; Who cares?
Abstract:
In 2024 the population of the world is estimated to be in excess of 8 billion. Of this over 11.5 million people are in prison at any given time. The profile of those in prison can be evidenced with living histories of poverty, marginalisation, trauma, exclusion, addiction, mental ill health, familial and societal neglect, vulnerability and desperation. Far from being apologists for crime, those who work in the prison environment strive to create functional lives and futures for those who are incarcerated. They aim to bring and restore a sense of hope for the future and support people to live and participate in their communities after they leave prison. While nurses are recognised worldwide as the largest profession in health and social care so they are also the largest profession providing that same health and social care in prisons across the globe. Nurses’ professionalism in the prison environment not only caters for ill health but contributes hugely to the safety of prisoners, the prevention of avoidable harm and the management of risk regardless of location or situation. International and reputable literature provides guidance for the highest standards of delivery of healthcare in prisons. The question is how is the best care delivered in prisons? The answer relies on the absolute caring approach of professional, dedicated, compassionate and competent nurses. In prisons across the world nurses deliver this care 24 hours a day, 365 days a year in environments where health and caring is not the core purpose of the organisation they work for or the environment they work in. This brings unique challenges and barriers for nurses where their primary responsibility of accountability to their patient can be tried and tested both overtly and covertly and where more importance is often placed on expediency over integrity. I hope to share with you not only the challenges nurses working in prisons face but also examples of the ways in which nurses overcome obstacles, embody all that we are proud of as professionals and clearly and fearlessly put the interest of their patients first. We are a small cohort of the largest contingent of healthcare providers in the world and work in some of the most repressive, professionally isolated, ethically challenging and yet rewarding environments. As far as I am aware, this is the first International Forum where nursing in prisons is afforded a dedicated space on a global stage to showcase our work, inform our colleagues and begin a journey of recognition of Prison Nursing as a sub-speciality of the greatest profession ever to touch the lives of every person across the globe.
