INHSU Prisons was a special interest group for INHSU members to participate in scientific knowledge and information exchange, knowledge translation, and advocacy for enhanced hepatitis care in custodial settings.
INHSU Prisons was discontinued in late 2024, with prisons-related work now integrated into our core program. This change reflects the significant progress and efforts of the Prisons SIG since its launch in 2019, driving research, advocacy, and awareness of hepatitis and broader health issues in custodial settings.
By embedding prison work into INHSU’s broader program of work, we aim to create more opportunities for engagement in prison topics, including topics beyond viral hepatitis in prisons.
History of INHSU Prisons
The group was established in 2019 and held its inaugural annual workshop in association with INHSU 2019 in Montreal.
Formed to connect the global community working to enhance access to hepatitis care for people in prisons, INHSU Prisons brought together researchers, practitioners, policymakers, advocates and affected communities to improve the health of people in custodial settings.
The SIG aimed to:
- Facilitate information exchange at the international level to enhance the capacity of prison-based health systems for HCV prevention and care
- Develop prison-focused HCV education programs adapted to diverse prison settings worldwide
- Facilitate translation of health services research to support advocacy and drive policymaking, to improve HCV prevention and care efforts in prisons
INHSU Prisons Activities
INHSU Prisons Hepatitis C Advocacy Toolkit
This toolkit provides guidance across three core areas that will support your advocacy efforts for the scale-up or implementation of prison-based hepatitis C testing, treatment and prevention services:
- Advocacy planning
- Hepatitis C information and education
- Prison-based hepatitis C care advocacy
Global Guidelines for Viral Hepatitis Service Delivery in Prisons
Developed in collaboration with leading clinical, public health, and organisational experts, these guidelines offer best practices for viral hepatitis care in prisons worldwide. Aimed at informing policymakers, they provide actionable recommendations to enhance prevention and clinical standards.
INHSU Prisons 2023 workshop report
At the INHSU 2023 annual conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, INHSU Prisons convened an interactive workshop sharing global best practice for scaling up HCV testing, treatment, and prevention services in prisons. This report summarises the day’s findings, including best practice case studies, practical reccomendations, and advocacy reccomendations for low-middle-income countries.
INHSU Prisons Hypothetical session
At the INHSU 2023 annual conference held in Geneva, Switzerland, INHSU Prisons held a ‘Hypothetical’ style session, which followed the hypothetical journey of a person as they progress through the HCV testing and treatment cascade of care in prison.
INHSU Prisons bibliography 2023
Each year, the INHSU Prisons Executive Committee collates the list of all prison-focused hepatitis C research published in the calendar year and votes on those they consider to be of outstanding and special interest. 2023’s bibliography is now available. The INHSU Prisons Executive Committee would like to congratulate everyone who has published papers this year for their commitment to producing exceptional research in carceral settings globally.
Useful resources
Other events and activities
INHSU Prisons held an annual workshop adjacent to INHSU conferences each year. INHSU Prisons also hosted prison-focused sessions during the INHSU conference, with invited speakers and selected oral presentations on topics relevant to hepatitis care in the prison setting.
- 2024: Behind the research webinar – video
- 2023: Key takeaways from INHSU 2023 prison sessions
- 2023: Behind the research webinar
- 2022: INHSU Prisons workshop, Glasgow, Scotland
- 2021: Global debate: conducting research in prisons
- 2021: Speed Geeking Europe
- 2021: Speed Geeking North America
- 2020: INHSU Africa: Spotlight on prison-focused work
- 2019: INHSU Prisons Inaugural Annual Workshop
- 2019: Conference Session P: Prisons
INHSU Prisons Executive Committee
We thank the Prisons Executive Committee for their tireless efforts. Prisons content will continue to be a focus of INHSU and incorporated into the wider INHSU programming.
- Chair: Professor Andrew Lloyd, Australian National Prisons Hepatitis Network / The Kirby Institute UNSW Sydney, Australia
- Vice-Chair: Dr Matthew Akiyama, Albert Einstein College of Medicine / Montefiore Medical Centre, New York, USA
- Vice-Chair: Dr Joaquin Cabezas, Marques de Valdecilla University Hospital, Santander, Spain
- Vice-Chair: Dr Nadine Kronfli, McGill University Health Centre, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
- Early Career Representative: Yumi Sheehan, Australian National Prisons Hepatitis Network / The Kirby Institute UNSW Sydney, Australia
- Julia Sheehan, The Hepatitis C Trust, London, United Kingdom
- Nonso B.C Maduka, Bensther Development Foundation, Nigeria