The health of people in Australia's prisons 2022

Female dischargees were asked whether they had received a mammogram (a screening test for breast cancer) while in prison or in the past 2 years.

Female prison dischargees aged 45–54 were the most likely to report receiving a mammogram (17%).

The Royal Australian College of General Practitioners recommends a mammogram every 2 years for females aged 50–74 who are at average, or only slightly higher, risk of breast cancer. Annual mammograms from age 40 may be recommended for females with a moderately increased, or a potentially high risk, of breast cancer, or for those carrying a mutation (RACGP 2021).

The prison population is young relative to the wider Australian population, and very few females in prison in Australia are aged 50 and over. These females were even less likely to be captured through the prison dischargee survey and might have had a mammogram on schedule in the community.