The International Journal of Prisoner Health call for papers

The International Journal of Prisoner Health takes an interdisciplinary approach to prisoner health. The journal provides a platform for prison health experts, public policy makers, researchers and practitioners to share best practice from a range of cultural contexts. The journal seeks to stimulate wider research of the issues by providing a focus for study and an outlet for publication for those who have an interest in health in prison and other detention and criminal justice settings worldwide.

The journal has facilitated discussion among international experts, beginning with the first International Prisoner Health Conference held in Estonia in June 2006. Since then there have been prison health conferences affiliated with the journal held in Bulgaria, Spain and Italy.

Editorial Objectives/Criteria

The journal encourages research into health issues of the whole prison population, including women, migrant and ethnic minorities. It also considers the impact of prison conditions on staff health. Moreover, the journal looks holistically at the prison setting in the context of public health and brings together research and practice to inform the development of health policy and practical approaches within the prison, and other criminal justice environments, using evidence-based studies.

The principle aim of the journal is to highlight practice that contributes to improving health care policy in criminal justice settings.

Coverage

The journal provides a site for focussing key discussions in prisoner and prison-related health and contributes to the debate about best practice from a wide range of prison systems worldwide.

The Editors invite submissions that focus on one or more of the following:

• Quantitative or qualitative analyses of research-derived data that will increase the knowledge of prisoner health care professionals
• Commentary that will challenge existing practices and encourage debate in areas relevant to health and illness among prisoners (e.g. chronic disease, mental health problems, addiction, self-harm, impact of the physical environment, and staff health and safety)
• Papers specifically focused on juveniles and women prisoners
• Research investigating the impact of the institution on the well-being of staff, prisoners, and the community, in general or in the context of a healthy setting (e.g. as developed by the World Health Organization)
• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• Papers that provoke new professional insight toward improving efficacy and contributions to prisoner and public health
• Papers that address related areas that impact on prisoner health and wellbeing
• The journal editors also encourage guest editions that enable key areas to be examined in detail. To date, there have been special editions addressing the issues of HIV and prison psychiatry and mental health.

Key journal audiences

• Practitioners (including health workers such doctors, nurses, health care managers, psychiatry staff, social workers, security staff, drug workers and specialists in infectious diseases)
• Researchers (including academics, students, criminologists, and sociologists)
• Policy makers (including public policy makers, public health professionals, prison health policy makers, and members of international health related bodies).

Submit a paper

Submissions to IJPH should be sent to the Associate Editor, David Kane.

Keep up-to-date with drug policy developments by subscribing to the IDPC Monthly Alert.