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Towards Equivalent Health Care of Prisoners: European Soft Law and Public Health Policy in Geneva

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Abstract

Prisoners have a right to health care and to be protected against inhumane and degrading treatment. Health care personnel and public policy makers play a central role in the protection of these rights and in the pursuit of public health goals. This article examines the legal framework for prison medicine in the canton of Geneva, Switzerland and provides examples of this framework that has shaped prisoners’ medical care, including preventive measures. Geneva constitutes an intriguing example of how the Council of Europe standards concerning prison medicine have acquired a legal role in a Swiss canton. Learning how these factors have influenced implementation of prison medicine standards in Geneva may be helpful to public health managers elsewhere and encourage the use of similar strategies.

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Acknowledgements

We thank Timothy Harding for his support.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. University Center of Legal Medicine of Geneva and Lausanne, University of Geneva, Switzerland

    Bernice S Elger

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  1. Bernice S Elger
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Correspondence to Bernice S Elger.

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How Geneva developed and implemented legal rules and structures to guide health care in prisons, often adopting principles from the Council of Europe.

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Elger, B. Towards Equivalent Health Care of Prisoners: European Soft Law and Public Health Policy in Geneva. J Public Health Pol 29, 192–206 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1057/jphp.2008.6

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