scholarly journals COVID-19—The Case for Rethinking Health and Human Rights in Prisons

2021 ◽  
pp. e1-e5
Author(s):  
Jörg Pont ◽  
Stefan Enggist ◽  
Heino Stöver ◽  
Stéphanie Baggio ◽  
Laurent Gétaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Criminal Justice ◽  
Infection Control ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Health Risks ◽  
Small Proportion ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Health And Human Rights ◽  
Detention Centers

This article considers health and human rights implications for people deprived of liberty during the COVID-19 crisis. The health risks of incarceration for individual and community health, particularly in overcrowded and underresourced prisons and detention centers, are well known, but with the COVID-19 pandemic have become a public health emergency. Physical distancing in prisons is hardly manageable, and protective means are poor or lacking. Emergency releases have been shown to be feasible in terms of public safety but lack sustainability in reducing the number of people living in detention, and, globally, only a small proportion of them have been released. Without controlling the infection inside prisons, global efforts to tackle the spread of the disease may fail. People living in detention are not only more vulnerable to infection with COVID-19 but they are also especially vulnerable to human rights violations induced by inappropriate restrictions under the pretext of infection control. Therefore, alternatives for detention should be promoted and the number of incarcerated people radically decreased. This article calls on policymakers and all professionals involved in public health and criminal justice not to waste the opportunities provided by the crisis but to act now. (Am J Public Health. Published online ahead of print April 15, 2021: e1–e5. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2021.306170 )

s.Two Implementation and Accountability, 8 Justiciability of Human Rights for Health

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Flood Colleen M ◽  
Thomas Bryan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Human Rights ◽  
Right To Health ◽  
Health And Human Rights ◽  
Proper Role ◽  
Health Related ◽  
State Obligations ◽  
The Right ◽  
The Impact

This chapter examines both the power and limitations of litigation as a means of facilitating accountability for the advancement of public health. While almost half of the world’s constitutions now contain a justiciable right to health, the impact of litigation has been mixed. Judicial accountability has, in some cases, advanced state obligations to realize the highest attainable standard of health, but in other cases, litigation has threatened the solidarity undergirding public health systems. There is significant country-to-country variation in interpreting health-related human rights, as well as differing views of the proper role of courts in interpreting and enforcing these rights. Surveying regional human rights systems and national judicial efforts to address health and human rights, it is necessary to analyze how courts have approached—and how they should approach—litigation of the right to health and health-related human rights to improve health for all.

scholarly journals Exploring the Ethical Dimensions of All-Hazards Public Health Emergency Preparedness in Canada

2019 ◽  
Vol 34 (s1) ◽  
pp. s20-s20
Author(s):  
Alexa Caturay ◽  
Tracey O’Sullivan ◽  
Jennifer Gibson ◽  
Alison Thompson ◽  
Yasmin Khan
Keyword(s):  
Public Health ◽  
Community Health ◽  
Emergency Preparedness ◽  
Ad Hoc ◽  
Emerging Infectious Diseases ◽  
Emergency Situation ◽  
Structured Interview ◽  
Public Health Emergency ◽  
Ethical Implications ◽  
Public Health Emergency Preparedness

Introduction:With increasing disaster risks from extreme weather, climate change, and emerging infectious diseases, the public health system plays a crucial role in community health protection. The disproportionate impacts of disaster risks demonstrate the need to consider ethics and values in public health emergency preparedness (PHEP) activities. Established PHEP frameworks from many countries do not integrate ethics into operational approaches.Aim:To explore the ethical dimensions of all-hazards public health emergency preparedness in Canada.Methods:A qualitative study design was employed to explore key questions relating to PHEP. Six focus groups, using the Structured Interview Matrix (SIM) format, were held across Canada with 130 experts from local, provincial, or federal levels, with an emphasis on local/regional public health. An inductive approach to content analysis was used to develop emergent themes, and iteratively examined based on the literature. This paper presents analyses examining the dimensions of ethics and values that emerged from the focus group discussions.Results:Thematic analysis resulted in the identification of four themes. The themes highlight the importance of proactive consideration of values in PHEP planning: challenges in balancing competing priorities, the need for transparency around decision-making, and consideration for how emergencies impact both individuals and communities.Discussion:Lack of consideration for the ethical dimensions of PHEP in operational frameworks can have important implications for communities. If decisions are made ad-hoc during an evolving emergency situation, the ethical implications may increase the risk for some populations, and lead to compromised trust in the PHEP system. The key findings from this study may be useful in influencing PHEP practice and policy to incorporate fairness and values at the core of PHEP to ensure readiness for emergencies with community health impacts.

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