Health is a fundamental human right, especially for individuals held in the custody of the state. Although women should be entitled to the same rights as men, prison systems were primarily designed for men, and many prisons do not have adequate facilities to protect women’s rights or to promote their health. Compounding the difficulty of addressing this problem is the lack of data and research about women’s health status while in prison. Health systems must include penitentiary health policies that integrate women’s health needs in all phases of planning and implementation. .
