Towards a continuum of care in the EU criminal justice system

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The new member states of the European Union often experience new challenges with drug use in prisons and related health problems like high prevalence of infectious diseases. This study analyses the situation of prison drug use, infectious deseases and health care services in four countries: Estonia, Hungary, Lithuania, and Poland. Based on a comprehensive literature review the prison health care in the four countries is described. A detailed picture is given of health status, drug use, health care and drug services in prisons. In order to give an extensive insight a triangulage methodology has been applied; including a quantitative survey among drug using inmates, prisoners focus groups, interviews with experts working in the field and from the prison administration and/or Ministries of Justice. The focus of this lies on prisoners' needs and perceptions of health and social prison services. Common and structural problems of implementing effective harm-reduction measures and health-care services are discussed. Furthermore this study identifies barriers to an improvement of prison health care. <engl.>