title: [Autonomy and patient prisoners].
abstract: The authors study a recent Spanish High Court decision declaring liability on the Administration's part for the death of an inmate in a prison hospital. We analyse the Court's decision using legal, ethical, medical and social perspectives. The conclusions are that: 1. the Administration has no legitimate right to force a prisoner to take medical treatment, except in circumstances in which there is a grave and definite risk to the patient's life, or when the patient lacks capacity or when there is the risk of harm to the health of third parties; 2. That in the case of health decision making that might affect a patient, the Court has mounted a frontal attack on the autonomy of patients in prison; 3. That from a medical point of view the decision is discriminatory since it does not apply the same standards of measurement to all chronic illnesses that might be found in the prison context; 4. That it is inapplicable in daily practice due to the fact that its strictness of application would seriously affect the already highly fragile ordered coexistence that exists in a prison.
authors.affiliation: Centro Penitenciario de Castellón, Castellón, España.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García-Guerrero
authors.forename: V
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Bellver-Capella
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Blanco-Sueiro
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Galán-Cortés
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mínguez-Gallego
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Serrat-Moré