On the basis of international standards, health care in German prisons has been oriented along the principle of equivalence (equity of health care delivery for inmates compared with the health care delivery in the community). Against this background, selected health problems demonstrate not only isolated problems in adaptation and implementation of health care delivery, but also structural problems resulting from the parallel system of prison health care, which is separated from the general German health care insurance system. This review serves as a basis to present suggestions to rethink and reorganize prison-based health care services.
