Prison infrastructure, the right to health and a suitable environment for the inmates of the Women’s Annex in Chorrillos Prison (Peru)

Objective: To determine how the prison infrastructure can guarantee health rights and an adequate environment for inmates at the Women’s Annex of Chorrillos Prison (EPAMCh. Material and method: The materials consisted of a guided interview conducted with 10 specialists on the subject and a guided survey completed by 30 inmates. The method consisted of an applied qualitative approach with a phenomenological design. Results: The experts interviewed said that the current infrastructure of the Women’s Annex of Chorrillos Prison is in a state of crisis and does not provide even minimal healthcare services. The surveys completed by the prisoners gave the unanimous response that conditions were precarious, but the majority said that they were willing to form part of a health education program and to commit to preventive medicine without forgetting curative methods. Discussion: Preventive medicine must be promoted. To do this, prisoners’ educational levels need to be improved and solid health education systems in prisons should be provided. Changes would need to be made in the guarantees of their rights to health and to adequate surroundings to bring about the necessary changes.