Prisoners have the right to humane treatment and appropriate medical care.
The relationship between physician and prisoner is governed by the same ethical principles as that between the physician and any other patient. There are strong public health reasons for reinforcing the importance of these rules. The recently reported increase in incidence of tuberculosis amongst prisoners in a number of countries reinforces the need for considering public health issues when designing new prison regimens, and for pressing for reforms of existing penal and prison systems. Prisons can be breeding grounds for infection. Overcrowding, lengthy confinement within closed, poorly lit, badly heated and consequently poorly ventilated and often humid spaces are all conditions frequently associated with imprisonment and which contribute to the spread of disease and ill-health.