Implementation and Policy Perspectives on Tuberculosis Control in Prisons and Closed Settings: Strengthening Primary Care and Continuity of Care for High-Risk Populations

Tuberculosis (TB) remains a major global public health challenge and is highly concentrated in prisons and other closed or congregate settings, where overcrowding, poor ventilation, delayed case detection, and limited access to health services create ideal conditions for TB transmission. Incarcerated populations experience TB incidence rates several times higher than the general population and often face interrupted care during and after detention. These challenges are further compounded by comorbidities such as HIV, diabetes, malnutrition, and substance use disorders. Primary care–oriented and community-based approaches are critical for strengthening TB control in prisons, ensuring early diagnosis, treatment adherence, continuity of care upon release, and linkage to community health systems. Addressing TB in correctional facilities is therefore essential not only to protect a highly vulnerable population but also to reduce transmission in the wider community.

This Research Topic aims to synthesize implementation-oriented and policy-relevant evidence on TB prevention, diagnosis, and care in prisons and other closed settings. The collection seeks to inform health system strengthening, service integration, and governance reforms that enhance access, quality, and continuity of TB care for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated populations. By bridging research, policy, and practice, this collection intends to support scalable and sustainable TB control strategies in high-burden and resource-limited contexts.

This collection welcomes original research, reviews, policy analyses, and implementation science studies focused on TB control in prisons and closed or semi-closed settings, with strong links to primary care and public health systems. Both quantitative and qualitative studies, mixed-methods research, realist evaluations, and implementation research approaches are encouraged. Topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

• Implementation and scale-up of TB screening and case-finding strategies in prisons
• Models of integrated TB care linking prisons, primary care, and community services
• Continuity of TB care during incarceration, transfer, and post-release
• Health system governance, financing, and stewardship for prison TB services
• Policy analysis of prison health systems and TB control regulations
• Treatment adherence, patient-centered care, and service delivery innovations in prisons
• TB and comorbidities in incarcerated populations (e.g., HIV, diabetes, mental health disorders)
• Digital health, mHealth, and data systems for prison TB programs
• Ethical, legal, and human rights dimensions of TB care in prisons

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Case Report
• Classification
• Clinical Trial
• Community Case Study
• Conceptual Analysis
• Curriculum, Instruction, and Pedagogy
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: tuberculosis, prisons, correctional health, closed settings, primary care, public health, community-based care, continuity of care, vulnerable populations, health systems

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.