He report of the conditions of detention and imprisonment of the Dominican Republic 2023, revealed that in the country’s penitentiary centers, the predominant overcrowdingthe lack of sanitary conditions and insufficient medical care, which puts the health and dignity of prisoners at risk.
The hypertension Arterial hypertension is the predominant pathology in the country’s prisons, affecting 1,569 people. It is followed by diabetes with 726 cases; mental illnesses with 508 affected, and HIV with 431 infected.
“The latest figure calls for reflection on how permissive traditional centres are in allowing the entry of sex workers,” the report states.
The information contained within the report made by the National Public Defense Councilalso points out that the country’s prisons are dominated by cells without adequate ventilation and with inhumane bathrooms, which “are a reflection of the structural precariousness that affects thousands of inmates.”
Furthermore, the report states that food shortages and the limited provision of educational and social reintegration programmes highlight the urgent need for comprehensive reforms to improve living conditions within prisons.
Overcrowding
The report reveals that the La Victoria Correction and Rehabilitation Centre, originally designed to house 2,000 people, is currently overcrowded with 7,093 inmates. Nationwide, a total of 26,076 people have been recorded as deprived of liberty distributed across 41 centres.
According to a survey carried out in 2023, prison infrastructure is on the verge of collapse, even in new model centers such as Rafey, where water falls directly on the bunks where prisoners sleep.
Similar situations are experienced in the men’s and women’s areas in Nagua, where “inmates end up soaked while they sleep” due to leaks.
Health
According to the report, 35.81% of the prison population suffers from hypertension (1,569 people), while 16.57% (726 people) suffer from diabetes. In addition, 11.48% (503 people) present disorders mentaland 9.84% (431 people) live with HIV.
Others conditions medical Relevant include asthmawhich affects 7.60% (333 people) of inmates, and conditions of the skin, present in 6.03% (264 people).
Cases of tuberculosis were also identified in 3.58% (157 people), as well as other conditions medical affecting 3.49% (153 people) of the incarcerated population.
Heart disease affects 2.72% (119 people), hepatitis affects 1.57% (69 people), and physical and visual disabilities are present in 1.00% (44 people) and 0.30% (13 people) of inmates, respectively.
The report highlights that the majority of prisoners do not have access to treatments either medicines general, let alone those necessary to attend to diseases like the diabetes or the medicines controlled for pathologies mental.
Regarding the health of prisoners, the report makes several recommendations. Firstly, it suggests enabling and adapting the areas medical in prisons. This includes the installation of laboratories for analytical tests and dental areas, as well as the adequate supply of medicines and necessary instruments.
In addition, it is recommended to manage with the Ministry of Health Public provision of sufficient medicines and with the National Service of Health (Senasa) the assignment of doctors and Nurses permanently in penitentiary centers.
To ensure the availability of the medicines essential, the report proposes that the Programme Medications Essentials and Logistics Support Center (Promese -CAL) provides the penitentiary centers with the medicines necessary for inmates.
Another recommendation is to channel the appointment of commissions through Senasa. psychiatrists by region to treat pathologies mental and psychologists to treat disorders psychological. It is also suggested to hire interns through the Ministry of Health Public to collaborate in health care within penitentiary centers.
The report also highlights the need to implement specialized medical monitoring for inmates with conditions of health as diabetes, hypertensionHIV, asthmatuberculosis and diseases mentalensuring they receive appropriate medication and treatment.
In this sense, it is recommended to create a Psychiatric Center to house prisoners with disorders mentalin compliance with security measures in accordance with the law.
In addition, it is proposed to establish a archive for each person who enters the center, with a folder detailing their conditions health and care medical received. Documents related to treatments medical records prior to entry must be attached to the prison health record.
Other recommendations include the creation of a unit of attention of crisis for prisoners with conditions mental health and the release of those with diseases terminals and older adults who are unable to move on their own.
Finally, it is suggested that the judges executing the sentence, by varying the sentence modality, refer the elderly without family members to asylums of seniors subsidized by the State.
