C HAPTER 11. S PECIALIST HEALTH CARE OBJECTIVE The objective of this chapter is to emphasize that prisoners should have access to a full range of health-care facilities and that there should be a strong link between health-care services in prisons and those in the community or nation. ESSENTIAL PRINCIPLES Every prison should have proper health facilities and medical staff to provide for a range of health needs, including dental and psychiatric care. Sick prisoners who cannot be treated in the prison, such as prisoners with mental illnesses, should be transferred to a civil hospital or specialist prison hospital. All prisoners shall have access to a qualified dental practitioner. Services for psychiatric diagnosis and, if appropriate, treatment shall be available at every prison. Sick prisoners who require specialist treatment shall be transferred to specialized institutions or to civil hospitals. Prisoners who are insane shall not be detained in prisons, but transferred as soon as possible to mental institutions. Prisoners suffering from other mental diseases shall be treated in specialized institutions under medical management, or treated and supervised by prison medical services as appropriate. These principles should be presented visually and remain on display throughout the session. BASIS IN INTERNATIONAL INSTRUMENTS Exercise: Using the Compilation of Instruments, the trainees should work in pairs in order to discover the basis for each of these principles. The information should be reported back after a suitable period has been allowed for research. IMPLICATIONS The message is that specialist care facilities are not a privilege but a right for detainees, in the way that they are for any patient. It must be acknowledged that, although the mentally ill should not be held in prison, the reality is that many are. It falls to the prison staff to take care of these individuals. This is a considerable strain on them and every effort should be made to prevent this happening. 69