Prisoners, Medical Care and Entitlement to Health in England and Ireland, 1850-2000. (360G-Wellcome-103341_Z_13_Z)

Our project investigates health risks, medical interventions and health care in English and Irish prisons between 1850 and 2000. The two systems were interconnected in terms of administrative development and the high number of Irish prisoners in English prisons, yet varied in terms of the size of their respective populations, the impact of religious bodies on reform and in the role of political prisoners in shaping health. The largest research strand explores the high incidence of mental illness amongst prisoners and the impact of the prison system on the mental health of inmates, adults and juveniles, key issues which have preoccupied prison medical services and reformers from the early nineteenth century to the current day. Further strands examine the management of medical care and disease; responses to HIV/AIDS in prisons; the impact of political prisoners on medical regimes and prisoners' rights; the health of women prisoners; and the campaigns of lay and religious reformers in see king to improve facilities. The project interrogates inherent tensions as medical staff grappled to maintain healthy and hygienic practices, while devising regimens to discipline and rehabilitate prisoners in the context of poor conditions, official disinterest and intermittent overcrowding. Our case studies also consider the categories of gender, sexuality, class, age, religion, race, migration and ethnicity and how these influenced medical interventions. Alongside the production of scholarly o utputs, and a wide range of public engagement activities, our project will address current policy debates on prison systems, medical ethics and the management of prisoners' health.