Contextualising the pervasive impact of macroeconomic austerity on prison health in England: a qualitative study among international policymakers

Nasrul Ismail

doi:10.1186/s12889-019-7396-7

Abstract

BackgroundPrisons offer the state the opportunity to gain access to a population that is at particularly high risk of ill-health. Despite the supportive legal and policy structures surrounding prison rehabilitation, the oppressive nature of the austerity policy in England threatens its advanced improvement.MethodsUsing grounded theory methodology, this is the first interdisciplinary qualitative study to explore the impact of macroeconomic austerity on prison health in England from the perspective of 29 international prison policymakers.ResultsThe far-reaching impact of austerity in England has established a regressive political system that shapes the societal attitude towards social issues, which has exacerbated the existing poor health of the prisoners. Austerity has undermined the notion of social collectivism, imposed a culture of acceptance among prison bureaucrats and the wider community, and normalised the devastating impacts of prison instability. These developments are evidenced by the increasing levels of suicide, violence, radicalisation and prison gangs among prisoners, as well as the imposition of long working hours and the high levels of absenteeism among prison staff.ConclusionsThis study underscores an important and yet unarticulated phenomenon that despite being the fifth largest economy in the world, England’s poorest, marginalised and excluded population continues to bear the brunt of austerity. Reducing the prison population, using international obligations as minimum standards to protect prisoners’ right to health and providing greater resources would create a more positive and inclusive system, in line with England’s international and domestic commitments to the humane treatment of all people.

Highlights

Prisons offer the state the opportunity to gain access to a population that is at high risk of ill-health
Bearing in mind that societal members will inevitably look after their own interests during testing times, prisoners’ health needs will not Imposition of a culture of acceptance Informants felt that austerity had led to a culture of acceptance among English prison policymakers
This study indicates that the austerity measures introduced by the English government have pervasively affected the health of prisoners and prison staff

Summary

Introduction

Prisons offer the state the opportunity to gain access to a population that is at high risk of ill-health. The Ottawa Charter, which states that “health is created and lived by England leads the world in terms of prison health standards [7, 8], but since the country embraced austerity in May 2010, its leadership has largely stemmed from. Austerity has precipitated a reduction in government borrowing that requires deep cuts in public expenditure in order to rebalance the economy [9]. It reflects an embracing of neoliberalism – a policy of state restructuring processes that are organised by the logic of economic efficiency, minimal state intervention and a preference for individual rather than collective rights [10]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion