The Joint Unions in Prisons Alliance (JUPA) was established in response to ongoing concerns about the safety of staff working in prison environments. Its mission is to drive improvements in working conditions so that all staff can feel Safe Inside. Find out more about the Safe Inside Charter.

Over the last few years the RCN Nursing in Justice and Forensic Healthcare forum have collaborated with both the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the Royal College of General Practitioners to deliver a highly successful Health and Justice Summit.

This event brings together professionals working in the field of health and justice and those with lived experience to explore how excellent care can be championed and patient safety maintained. The Summit always fosters meaningful dialogue and hosts a wide range of speakers from across different pathways.

This year we are working to deliver the 13th Health and Justice Summit this Autumn titled Interconnecting Health and Justice in Manchester on Thursday 8 October - Friday 9 October. Over these two days, we will explore how health needs shape justice outcomes and justice systems shape health outcomes. With a solution-focused goal, we will examine learning from the UK and international systems and give a platform to the latest research aligned with the key themes of the Summit.

The deadline for abstracts is the 17th May. 

Find out more about the 13th Health and Justice Summit

RCN resources

• Dementia Care Principles for People in Prison. This document sets out the five principles, based on evidence gathered from people living with dementia, carers and practitioners.
• RCN advice guide. Violence in the workplace
• Independent Advisory Panel for Deaths in Custody & RCN. Avoidable natural deaths in prison custody: putting things right
• Nursing roles in health and justice services. The specialist nursing staff working in each of the forensic and justice services  

Further resources

• European Committee for the Prevention of Torture and Inhuman or Degrading Treatment, Healthcare in Prison. Prison Standard CPT/Inf (2025) 37 (PDF)
• GOV.UK. The health of people in prison, on probation and in the secure NHS estate in England
• Healthcare Improvement Scotland. Disclosure of rape or sexual assault (SARCS) (PDF)
• HM Inspectorate of Prisons (HMIP) (2024) The long wait: A thematic review of delays in the transfer of mentally unwell prisoners
• HMIP. Annual Report 2023-24
• HMIP. Women's review report 2025. Time to care: what helps women cope in prison? A thematic review by HM Chief Inspector of Prisons (PDF)
• National Autistic Society. Criminal Justice - a guide for police officers and professionals
• National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death (NCEPOD) (2024) Prison healthcare
• NHS England   eLearning for Healthcare . Adult Safeguarding in a Secure and Detained Setting
• NHS England. A review of health and social care in women’s prisons
• NHS England. Combatting racial discrimination against minority ethnic nurses, midwives and nursing associates
• Nuffield Trust. Inequality on the inside: Using hospital data to understand the key health care issues for women in prison
• Prison Reform Trust. Bromley Briefing Factfile Bromley Briefings
• RCPCH. Healthcare standards for children and young people in secure settings
• RCPsych. Standards for Prison Mental Health Services – Fifth Edition
• The Knowledge Exchange
• University of Surrey. How is cancer care best provided to patients in English prisons?

RCN Facebook groups are a place where you can get involved in honest and open discussions on the issues that affect you and your field of practice.