Medical Problems of State and Federal Prisoners and Jail Inmates, 2011-2012

• NCJ Number: 248491
• Author(s): Laura Maruschak; Marcus Berzofsky Dr.PH; Jennifer Unangst
• Date Published: February 2015
• Length: 23 pages
• Sponsoring Agency: Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS)
• Corporate Author: RTI International
• Publication Series: BJS Special Reports
• Publication Format: Document; Document (Online)
• Publication Type: Issue Overview
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: The Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) of the U.S. Department of Justice is the principal federal agency responsible for measuring crime, criminal victimization, criminal offenders, victims of crime, correlates of crime, and the operation of criminal and civil justice systems at the federal, state, tribal, and local levels. BJS collects, analyzes, and disseminates reliable and valid statistics on crime and justice systems in the United States, supports improvements to state and local criminal justice information systems, and participates with national and international organizations to develop and recommend national standards for justice statistics. This report was written by Laura M. Maruschak, BJS Statistician, and Marcus Berzofsky, Dr.P.H., and Jennifer Unangst, RTI International. E. Ann Carson and Jennifer Bronson, Ph.D., BJS Statisticians, and Jennifer Unangst, RTI International, provided statistical verification and review. Morgan Young, Irene Cooperman, and Jill Thomas edited the report. Barbara Quinn produced the report.

Annotation

This Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) Special Report presents the prevalence of medical problems among state and federal prisoners and jail inmates, highlighting differences in rates of chronic conditions and infectious diseases by demographic characteristic.

Abstract

Presents the prevalence of medical problems among state and federal prisoners and jail inmates, highlighting differences in rates of chronic conditions and infectious diseases by demographic characteristic. The report describes health care services and treatment received by prisoners and jail inmates with health problems, including doctor's visits, use of prescription medication, and other types of treatment. It also explains reasons why inmates with health problems were not receiving care and describes inmate satisfaction with health services received while incarcerated. Data were from the 2011-12 National Inmate Survey.

• In 2011-12, an estimated 40% of state and federal prisoners and jail inmates reported having a current chronic medical condition while about half reported ever having a chronic medical condition.
• Twenty-one percent of prisoners and 14% of jail inmates reported ever having tuberculosis, hepatitis B or C, or other STDs (excluding HIV or AIDS).
• Both prisoners and jail inmates were more likely than the general population to report ever having a chronic condition or infectious disease. The same finding held true for each specific condition or infectious disease.
• Among prisoners and jail inmates, females were more likely than males to report ever having a chronic condition.
• High blood pressure was the most common chronic condition reported by prisoners (30%) and jail inmates (26%).
• About 66% of prisoners and 40% of jail inmates with a chronic condition at the time of interview reported taking prescription medication.
• More than half of prisoners (56%) and jail inmates (51%) said that they were either very satisfied or somewhat satisfied with the health care services received since admission.