At a time when France is considering the establishment of a system to monitor the health of incarcerated individuals, this report presents the findings of a study examining existing epidemiological surveillance practices in this area across fifteen Western countries (in Oceania, North America, and Europe). The resources allocated and methods used to monitor health in prisons vary significantly from country to country. While all countries routinely record mortality data, only four have developed surveillance systems covering multiple health topics, organized through two very different approaches. Canada and Belgium routinely collect this health data in a systematic, standardized, and computerized manner, whereas the United States and Australia have developed nationwide surveys that are regularly repeated. Some countries have established surveillance systems dedicated to a specific health topic, such as infectious diseases (Canada, United Kingdom, Switzerland) or mental health (Netherlands, Finland). In other countries, including France, the production of health data is largely limited to conducting ad hoc epidemiological surveys that generally cover a specific topic (psychiatry, substance use disorders, infectious diseases). The diversity of these approaches contributes to discussions on the feasibility and organization of a future surveillance system for the health of incarcerated individuals in France. (R.A.)