Qhen the doors of a prison close, it would be very important to try not to also seal off access to fundamental rights, first and foremost that of health. For women prisonersoften part of an already vulnerable community, the restrictive environment and distance from health services can amplify the risksin particular for gender-specific pathologies. To prevent this from happening, after a long journey, the “Convention for the Promotion of the Prevention and Protection of the Health of Detained Women“, an initiative that goes beyond simple assistance, but which aims to restore dignity and prevention as indispensable pillars, even behind bars.
The historic Convention: right to health in prison
Last week, an institutional and third sector alliance they have put a firm point on the right to health of inmatessigning the definitive agreement on November 7th. The Minister of Justice, Carlo Nordio, the Minister of Health, Orazio Schillaci, signed the so-called Convention, together with the representative of Think Pink Italy, Leone DawnAnd to the President of Severino FoundationPaola Severino. The pact, valid until June 2027 and renewable, represents a multi-year and operational program, a real bridge between the national health system and penal institutions. The objective is to implement coordinated actions that guarantee women easier access to early diagnosis, focusing in particular on the main female pathologies, with particular attention to tumors.
From nutrition to the mind: primary prevention
The project is divided into two parallel tracks. The first is dedicated to primary prevention, a real investment in lifestyles. The prison environment, with its routine and intrinsic stress, can in fact trigger or worsen harmful habits. Meetings and training sessions will focus on correct nutrition, physical activity and smoking reduction, as well as providing psychological tools to deal with imprisonment. After completing a lifestyle questionnaire, participants will be able to access voluntary physical and psychological assessments whose data will be the basis for activating individual and group counseling paths.
The agreement of 7 November establishes that the right to health is fully guaranteed to women in prison, putting an end to the logic of healthcare discontinuity. (Getty Images)
The mobile sentinel: oncological screening
The second track is the most impactful and visible action and is the one on the oncological prevention front. The Agreement provides for the use of Think Pink Italy Mobile Unitsreal diagnostic centers on wheels, equipped with high-tech ultrasound and mammography machines. These diagnostic units will directly reach women’s penitentiary institutions or sections dedicated to women. During the “prevention days”, crucial diagnostic tests for the early diagnosis of the most common tumors will be offered free of chargesuch as mammograms and ultrasounds. Bringing screening to prison overcomes the logistical and bureaucratic complexity of having to transfer prisoners to external facilities, an obstacle that is often a deterrent to prevention itself. Also in this case, access to screening will be guaranteed to all penitentiary police and administrative staff.
Coordination and measurement: the role of the Severino Foundation
Behind the implementation of such a widespread and delicate project there is a fundamental coordination action. This role is entrusted to the Severino ETS Foundation (Third Sector Institution): the Foundation will not limit itself to the logistical organization, but it will have a crucial task in monitoring the impact of the project. Through the collection and analysis of data, it will be possible to measure the effectiveness of the actions taken, an essential feedback mechanism to ensure that resources are used in the most efficient way and that the program truly responds to women’s needs. An approach that transforms the initiative from a simple charity work into a replicable and sustainable prison health policy model.
Health in prison: prevention as a tool for social reconnection
The profound essence of this Convention is the affirmation that prevention is an act of social justice. When the State guarantees an imprisoned person the opportunity for treatment, it sends the message that the value of the individual is not canceled out by punishment. An indispensable premise for future reintegration into society. The agreement therefore marks the overcoming of the emergency logic in favor of a strategic and programmatic vision of health in prison. A long-term commitment to ensure that the conviction does not cause more irreversible harm.