Morbidity in a penitentiary center of Colombia

Abstract

The present study analyzed the health situation of the inmates of the Penitentiary and Prison Center of the Municipality of Mocoa where conditions of overcrowding, precariousness in health and death. Objective: To describe the health situation of inmates in the Penitentiary and Jail Center of the Municipality of Mocoa during the period January to December 2013. Method: Observational study, descriptive type of cross section. Through the application of structured surveys to a sample of 103 inmates, an observational guide and the documentary review of the individual records of service provision, the health situation of inmates of the penitentiary center was analyzed. Results: A predominantly male population was
identified between 20 and 49 years old, where 30.37% correspond to indigenous groups with a low level of schooling, internal, who, as in the rest of the country, survive in overcrowded and unhealthy conditions. There is a limited and inopportune access to health services, where 77.94% of inmates said they became ill after entering the prison. Conclusions: It is concluded that this prison reflects in some way the conditions of Putumayo, taking into account the similarities of  the sociodemographic characteristics of the inmates surveyed. The analysis of morbidity allowed to find differences in the behavior compared to other prisons in the country, given the few reports of sexually transmitted infections
and chronic diseases.