The Feminist Justice Coalition (FJC) has launched a groundbreaking research project on cancer care in women’s prisons in the UK, addressing critical failings in the prison healthcare system. Despite the legal principle of equivalence of care, women in custody continue to face systemic barriers to cancer diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. The FJC Commissioning Report on Cancer in Women’s Prisons investigates how delayed screenings, missed appointments, poor care coordination, and unsafe treatment environments undermine women’s right to life-saving medical care.
This independent research will be carried out in collaboration with UCL, LSE (Cambridge) and other Russell Group universities, alongside leading academic and policy experts. The project aims to create a comprehensive evidence base documenting neglect and inequality within prison healthcare services. It will expose how the intersection of gender, incarceration, and health injustice compounds women’s vulnerability, particularly when facing serious illnesses such as breast, cervical, and ovarian cancer.
A central outcome of this initiative is the proposed Charter on the Health Rights of Women in Prison with Cancer. This Charter seeks to establish minimum national standards for cancer care in custody, guaranteeing timely access to specialist-led diagnosis and treatment, continuity of care with external oncology teams, and safe environments for immunocompromised patients. It will also outline clear accountability and monitoring mechanisms, ensuring transparency within the prison healthcare system.
The FJC Cancer in Prisons Report will be formally launched at the United Nations General Assembly in March 2026 and presented to the UK Parliament in April 2026. These events will form part of a global campaign to secure recognition of health rights for incarcerated women and to ensure that no woman dies behind bars due to institutional neglect or discrimination.
