The health of people in Australia's prisons 2022

Prison dischargees intending to continue taking medication

Prison dischargees were asked if they were taking regular medication, and whether they intended to continue the medication after release.

Substantial variations in intentions to continue medication after prison existed among different age groups, with 62% of people aged 18–24 intending to continue medication compared with 98% of people aged over 45.

There was little difference in the proportion of dischargees intending to continue their medication based on sex or Indigenous identity.

Medication comparisons with the general community

The prison population differs from the general community in terms of age, sex and Indigenous identity, and this affects the types of medications typically prescribed and/or dispensed to people in prison and in the community.

In the community, Australians are entitled to subsidised medications under the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS). Due to the lack of access to Medicare services in prison, medications provided to people in prison are generally not covered by the PBS and are instead funded through the state and territory governments. Medications prescribed to people in prison may therefore differ from those prescribed to people in the community with the same health needs.

Using the World Health Organization’s Anatomical Therapeutic Chemical Classification, comparisons were made between medications dispensed in the NPHDC and medications prescribed under the PBS in the community (WHO Collaborating Centre for Drug Statistics Methodology 2023).

About 2 in 5 (43%) medications dispensed to people in prison were those to treat the nervous system (including mental health); in the community, medications for the nervous system accounted for 21% of the total medications prescribed under the PBS (DHAC 2022).

About 1 in 10 (9.0%) medications dispensed to people in prison were those to treat the musculoskeletal system; in the community, medications for the musculoskeletal system accounted for 3.2% of the total medications prescribed under the PBS (DHAC 2022).

Medicines to treat the cardiovascular system accounted for 32% of the total medications prescribed under the PBS; in prison, they accounted for 14% of total medications dispensed (DHAC 2022).