Universal-Womens-accesss-to-justice-Publications-Practitioners-Guide-Series-2016-ENG

V
WOMEN’S ACCESS TO JUSTICE FOR GENDER-BASED VIOLENCE 115
information. 302 Doctors are required to “report to
the director whenever he or she considers that a
prisoner’s physical or mental health has been or will
be injuriously affected by continued imprisonment
or by any condition of imprisonment”. 303
Range of healthcare services.
‣ Every prison should have in place a health-care
service consisting of an interdisciplinary team, with
sufficiently qualified personnel and expertise in
psychology and psychiatry. The service of a dentist
should also be available for prisoners.
‣ The health care service should be “tasked with
evaluating, promoting, protecting and improving the
physical and mental health of prisoners, paying
particular attention to prisoners with special healthcare
needs or with health issues that hamper their
rehabilitation”. 304
‣ There should be medical screening on entry, 305
which should include: gender specific care, mental
health (including post-traumatic stress disorder and
risk of suicide and self-harm), 306 evaluation of drug
dependency issues 307 and reproductive
healthcare. 308
‣ There should be ongoing gender-specialized health
care, including mental health care and
rehabilitation. All prison staff must be aware of the
difficulties of women prisoners’ situation and ensure
that they are provided with appropriate mental
302
Mandela Rules, above note 274, Rule 32(1)(c). There is a lacuna in
this duty of confidentiality, which is if “maintaining confidentiality
would result in a real and imminent threat to the patient or to others.”
303
Mandela Rules, above note 274, Rule 33.
304
Ibid, Rule 25.
305
Bangkok Rules, above note 273, Rule 6(a).
306
Ibid, Rule 6(b).
307
Ibid, Rule 6(d).
308
Ibid, Rule 6(c).