From the principle of equivalence to the practice of care: Thoughts from the 9th ENDIPP conference

Is there such a thing as ‘prison health’? Or is prison health simply public health in prison? How should ‘equivalence’ be interpreted ‐ as an end goal or as a starting point? Can politically‐driven decisions be challenged by evidence based interventions? Can the concept of corporate manslaughter be applied to the failures associated with inadequate responses to healthcare emergencies in prison? Are the current political and operational frameworks for delivery of responses adequate and effective? These were some of the questions addressed at the 9th European Conference on Drugs and Infections in Prison, held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on 5‐7 October 2007 and co‐organised by Cranstoun Drug Services, the European Network on Drugs and Infections Prevention in Prison (ENDIPP) and the Slovenian Prison Service. The Conference provided a forum for delegates from approximately 40 countries to discuss debate and share views. One of the primary challenges posed is the urgent need to provide health responses to address the use of drugs and the concomitant proliferation of related infections in prisons. Of equal concern is that such responses should respect the human‐rights of prisoners and conform to the principle of equivalence.