Enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health is a fundamental human right. Prisoners should therefore have the same standard of medical care as people living in the community. These principles form the basis for WHO/Europe and its partners' commitment to improve health in prisons. The healthy prison concept reinforces the idea that the health and well-being of prisoners is not the sole responsibility of those providing health care in a prison, but is also dependent upon the regime and ethos of each establishment.

The WHO/Europe Health In Prisons Programme (HIPP) works as a platform for information dissemination, networking and good practice sharing in the area of prison health. With contributions from partners representing the main areas of the field, HIPP is an important resource for policy-makers, researchers and members of the public interested in prison health. The European Region is the only WHO region with a health in prisons programme.