Health and wellbeing of prisoners: The Wattu IV Prison Population Study Finland
The Health and Wellbeing of Prisoners (Wattu IV) is a joint research project between the Finnish Institute for Health and Welfare, the Prison and Probation Service of Finland and the Health Care Services for Prisoners on a population group that is not visible in traditional population studies.
Goals
The aim of the study is to:
- obtain information on the health, mental health disorders and social status of prisoners;
- promote prisoners health, functional capacity, wellbeing and reintroduction to society
- strengthen the continuity of care and service pathways
- produce information to support the development of services provided by Health Care Services for Prisoners and prison social welfare services in general.
The imprisonment period is a rare opportunity to investigate complex problems, such as untreated illnesses, social exclusion or mental health. Treatment and multidisciplinary cooperation following release will be easier in the home municipalities when prisoners’ social and health-related needs are identified during imprisonment. At best, health and wellbeing studies for prisoners can prevent crime and increase the security of society.
The report Health and Wellbeing of Prisoners 2023 was first published 21.9.2023 in Finnish.
- English version of the report is available digitally in the shared online publication repository (Julkari)
- Printed book in Finnish is also available in the THL bookshop
Contact information
Mika Rautanen
Research Manager
tel. +358 (0)29 524 5766
[email protected] / @thl.fi
