[Editorial] When a hospital becomes a prison

Imprisonment for debt has a long history. In England during the 18th and 19th centuries, for instance, thousands of people were detained in debtors' prisons for failure to pay debts. Although such institutions no longer exist, in many parts of the world detention for unpaid debts is still a well known occurrence. Less recognised, however, is hospital detention —the practice of holding people in hospital against their will, not because their condition requires it, but because they have outstanding health-care bills.

Source: LANCET - December 8, 2017 Category: General Medicine Authors: The Lancet Tags: Editorial Source Type: research