Medicines are handled differently in prison than in the community. At home, your loved one may be used to getting a GP prescription and collecting it from a pharmacy themselves. In prison, medicines are usually given out at set times. Some may not be available, may be given differently, or may not be kept by the person, because of safety and security rules.
Some medicines are seen as “high value” or “tradeable” in prison. This can put someone under pressure from others, or lead to medicines being sold or swapped. To reduce these risks, prisons may put restrictions in place. For example, some medicines may only be given once a day under supervision, and some strong pain medicines may not be available. It is usually safest for your loved one not to discuss their medicines with anyone except the healthcare team.
Key things to know about getting medications in prison
When your loved one first arrives
When someone first arrives in prison, they may already have a prescription from their GP, or they may have medicines with them. They will not usually be allowed to keep those medicines when they arrive.
A prison doctor or member of the healthcare team will need to assess them and prescribe what they need. This is done for safety and security reasons, including checking that the prescription is correct and that the medicine and dose are still right for them.
This can mean that your loved one’s regular medicines are paused or changed when they first arrive in prison. This can feel worrying, especially if the medicine is long-standing. Once the healthcare team has completed the assessment, an appropriate prescription should restart.