Objectives: to identify the main health problems of the prison population, describe the sociodemographic and health of convicts profile; point the main complaints and more frequent pathologies.Method: exploratory, descriptive, quantitative and qualitative, held in a maximum security prison. The study sample was composed of 63 convicts, which answer a semi-structured form. For the analysis, there was the simple descriptive statistics and discourse analysis of the collective subject.Results: the prison population is young, with low educational level and family income, present as the main pathologies skin disorders, respiratory disorders, gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, and infectious diseases.
Conclusions:are numerous health problems presented by the detainees, as well as their complaints ranging from lack of medical care and other health professionals, to the unsanitary conditions in which live, and picture of state failure and the competent bodies.