Objective. To assess the epidemiological characteristics of morbidity in those detained in an investigatory isolation cell of the penitentiary system in the Lipetsk Region.
Materials and methods. Using the statistical data of the Ministry of Health of the Russian Federation and those of Medical and Sanitary Unit Forty-Eight, Federal Penitentiary Service of Russia, for the period 2012 to 2016, the author comparatively analyzed the incidence of non-communicable and communicable diseases among the convicts of an investigatory isolation ward in the Lipetsk Region and the adult population of this region.
Results. The general morbidity rates in the convicts of an investigatory isolation ward in the Lipetsk Region have the same rise and fall periods as those in the adult population in this region. The structure of non-communicable diseases among the detainees is dominated by mental disorders. Trichomoniasis, syphilis, gonorrhea, chronic viral hepatitis, HIV infection, tuberculosis, pediculosis, and scabies were recorded among the communicable diseases. During the study period, there was a decrease in the number of cases of primarily detected chronic parenteral hepatitis B and C by 9.7 times, gonorrhea by 3 times, but the number of cases of trichomoniasis and syphilis increased by 1.3 and 4 times, respectively, and the incidence rates of HIV infection increased sharply: from 473.9 per 100,000 in 2012 to 2793.7 in 2016.
Conclusion. The detainees at the investigatory isolation ward generally belong to the marginalized populations and almost never come into the view of medical public health facilities and therefore detention can be considered as a disease risk factor. The health status of suspected and accused persons reflects the epidemic situation of infectious diseases among the socially vulnerable segments of civil society.

Keywords: communicable and non-communicable diseases, detainees, population