NCJ Number
219302
Journal
Journal of Correctional Health Care Volume: 13 Issue: 2 Dated: April 2007 Pages: 80-92
Date Published
April 2007
Length
13 pages
Annotation
This article examines the current prison population, its health status, the implications for public policies and the linkage between the prison populations’ health and the health of society.
Abstract
To stop the unnecessary human suffering and death among the incarcerated for health and social justice reasons and to end the alienation magnified by factors such as race, gender, and poverty, policymakers and practitioners must expand health care coverage, eliminate co-payments, include oral health care, increase mental health training of health care providers, increase the number of providers, encourage collaboration, increase systematic and ongoing collection of data, promote the usage of national standards, and address other barriers to reentry for those released. The social, economic and health consequences of incarceration should not be ignored. Disparities were experienced by individuals in U.S. jails and prisons which reflected the human and social consequences of political policies and cultural biases. Increasing rates of incarceration and the disproportionate impact on African-Americans have resulted in the destruction of entire families and urban communities and increasing health disparities. The proportion of people of color in U.S. prisons and jails reflects the prevailing economic, health, and educational disparities. These conditions, the lack of resources, and the barriers inmates face when they return to the community are national problems which need to be addressed through policy decisions and collaboration and coordination at the local, State and Federal levels. References