The Coming Decade: European Perspectives on Evolving Physical Health Challenges in Prisons
A special issue of Social Sciences (ISSN 2076-0760).
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 31 August 2026 | Viewed by 8
Special Issue Editors
Interests: prison health; end of life care in prison; pregnancy in prison; analysis of electronic health records data
Interests: criminal justice; prison reform; public health; social equity; prisoner reentry; social determinants of health; social services and welfare; violence; science, technology, and innovation policy
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
It is widely recognised that many people enter prison in poor health and that there are unique challenges of delivering healthcare in a prison setting. Healthcare for people in prison should be equivalent to the care they would receive in the community, yet equivalence remains an aspiration rather than reality, with healthcare experiences varying significantly between prisons and across jurisdictions.
This Special Issue takes a deliberately future-focused approach, inviting contributors to examine how physical health challenges will shape custodial healthcare over the next decade. We seek analyses that move beyond purely documenting current deficits to considering how intersecting crises—deepening social deprivation; escalating substance misuse, including prescription medications; and increasingly vulnerable prison populations—will compound existing health inequities in custody. What risks and challenges will prison services face by 2035 if present trajectories continue unchecked?
We welcome international contributions from European jurisdictions that engage with medium- to long-term policy implications and systemic challenges facing prison services. We encourage research on specific health conditions, innovative service organisation approaches, and system-level factors, including resource allocation, technological developments, and inter-agency collaboration. Whilst our focus is physical health, papers examining the interface between public health and mental health are welcome.
This Special Issue aims to inform evidence-based policymaking that can interrupt cycles of neglect and address the structural determinants of poor health in custodial populations before a crisis becomes catastrophe. Papers should highlight key learning that can inform the design and delivery of prison healthcare over the next decade to meet emerging needs.
For consideration in this journal, please submit your abstracts and any questions to the Special Issue Guest Editors miranda.davies@nuffieldtrust.org.uk or o.omara@essex.ac.uk by 31 January 2026. Notification of acceptance will be provided by 28 February 2026. Final papers are due on 30 June 2026 for peer review.
Dr. Miranda Davies
Dr. Oscar O'Mara
Guest Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
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Keywords
- prison
- incarceration
- inequality
- prisoner health
- physical health
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