Co-hosted by WHO/Europe, Public Health England and the Government of Finland, the 6th Prison Health Conference took place in Helsinki in March 2019. Themed “Leaving no one behind in prison health”, it focused on the interface between the health and justice systems, and its association with human rights and the principles established under the United Nations Nelson Mandela Rules and Bangkok Rules on the treatment of prisoners.

The Conference was part of the WHO health in prisons programme, which aims to promote health in prisons as part of the overall public health agenda. Discussions highlighted that efforts to improve public health and reduce health inequalities should be inclusive of prisons.

The conclusions are presented in the new publication “Leaving no one behind in prison health: the Helsinki conclusions”. They confirm that prison health is an important dimension of countries’ efforts to leave no one behind, to realize universal health coverage and to achieve the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly SDG 3 and SDG 10.