EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Chapter 1 – Introduction to the Right to Health in Prison International frameworks and guidelines from the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) specify that prisoners should receive health care equivalent to that available in their community, without discrimination based on their legal situation. Prisoners are known to be a population with many chronic and complex health and mental health conditions, and prison provides an opportunity for these health issues to be reviewed. However, since its establishment in 1999, the Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (the Commission) which has been visiting places of detention on a regular basis, as part of its mandate, has over the years observed that there is much room for improvement with regard to the provision of health care in prison. The Commission’s thematic study that is in line with the aim of the Prisons Department of Malaysia to improve the overall standards in prison by introducing the concept of Healthy Prison Transformations (Penjara Sejahtera), is therefore based on the following objectives: i. To improve overall understanding of the extent of the health needs among Malaysia’s prisoners. ii. To support the prison authorities and Government in improving public health by first addressing the health situation and health care in prisons. iii. To strengthen respect for human rights and to improve the provision of healthcare in prisons. iv. To identify steps that the prison authorities can take to reduce public health risks from imprisonment. v. To promote the health of prisoners, as well as prison staff and their families. vi. To work towards ensuring that the prison condition in Malaysia are constitutional and consistent with health, safety, and human dignity in order to achieve a criminal justice system that respects individual rights. The Commission’s nationwide survey included both qualitative (interviews) and quantitative studies on prisoners’ health and health care in prisons. The scope of the questions included demographic data, information about the health status, access to health care services in prisons and knowledge about the right to health in prisons. The aim of the survey was not restricted to obtaining information, but also to promote and educate all respondents about their right to health, as well as to raise public awareness on this right. viii