These 5 Charts Show Why Mass Incarceration Harms Everyone鈥檚 Health
Why you can trust us
An inmate sits in a courtyard at the California Health Care Facility at the new Stockton prison.
Photo by Wally Skalij/Los Angeles Times/Getty Images.
The U.S. incarcerates a higher percentage of its citizens .
There鈥檚 little doubt among researchers that mass incarceration is wreaking havoc on our society, in particular on people of color, LGBTQ, and the poor. What鈥檚 often overlooked in this discussion is the damage that prisons and jails do to our health鈥攆rom those who are incarcerated to their family members waiting at home to those who work in detention settings. As researchers and advocates, we have studied mass incarceration issues and on the ethics of this practice. To us, the evidence is clear: Mass incarceration is a public health scourge in the U.S.
The only reasonable response is to limit the unnecessary use of incarceration across the board鈥攁s lawmakers in and are attempting to do.
Incarceration and health
Each year, an estimated . A majority of those who died were not convicted of any crimes and were being held pretrial, often because they were too poor to afford bail. Those awaiting trial in jail have nearly of people who have been convicted and are serving their sentences. This appears to be a testament to the stress associated with being held pretrial. Perhaps not surprisingly, suicide is the leading cause of mortality in U.S. jails, . Again, the vast majority of these individuals have not been convicted of any crime. Suicide rates among incarcerated individuals are three to four times higher than the general public鈥檚. Many individuals in jail and prison suffer from . A majority of sentenced people in jail and prison . Even though incarceration often forces individuals to remain sober, being incarcerated generally exacerbates mental health disorders. that those with mental illness and substance abuse disorders have better treatment outcomes outside of correctional facilities. When individuals who have been receiving mental health care end up in correctional facilities, they often experience a large disruption in their care. They might lose access to medication or be forced to switch to entirely different ones. Their relationship with a mental health provider might also be severed. 鈥攚hich tends to be high-calorie and high-fat鈥攐ften has poor nutritional value. This, combined with restrictions on physical movement and the stress of incarceration and overcrowding, can have adverse effects on both mental and physical health. Lack of privacy, poor sanitation, and poor ventilation often make matters worse. Incarceration also puts individuals at risk for physical and . Furthermore, the U.S. faces the burgeoning crisis of a geriatric incarcerated population. , almost 19 percent of inmates are over 50 years of age. To make matters worse, several states鈥�, where we are based鈥攄o not have compassionate release procedures for terminally ill or medically incapacitated people who are sick and dying in our prisons.
Family and employees
It鈥檚 not just the incarcerated individual who suffers. . Most incarcerated before their incarceration. An estimated have an incarcerated parent. Having a parent incarcerated is considered to be an 鈥渁dverse childhood experience.鈥� This is linked to multiple negative health outcomes throughout life, including poor mental health, substance abuse, disease, disability, and even early death. Children with an incarcerated household member are also likelier to experience . Since prisons and jails are high-stress environments to work in and are , correctional officers too can experience serious mental and physical health problems. A recent survey of 8,300 correctional officers found that . That鈥檚 three times the rate of the general population. Correctional workers also experience than the national average.
Addressing the problem
So how do we reduce mass incarceration? The humane treatment of drug users is a step in the right direction. In the face of the opioid epidemic, some policymakers have pushed to redirect resources away from incarceration and toward . But to curb the unhealthy effects of incarceration, we believe that policymakers should extend this compassion to all individuals convicted of crimes. This means reducing the unnecessary use of incarceration across the board, not just when dealing with drug users. Research indicates that the would help; that must be reined in; and that our . As practitioners based in Massachusetts, we welcomed the passing of the omnibus criminal justice reform bill last October. The bill would retroactively and would establish a process to permit the from prison who pose no public safety risk. What鈥檚 more, the bill鈥檚 proposed reforms to cash bail鈥攚hich would be replaced by a risk assessment system鈥攃ould reduce the use of pretrial detention, as it has in and New Jersey. Similar reforms to reduce cash bail have also been adopted in , and . As momentum continues to gain for reform efforts in the U.S. penal system, we believe policymakers across the country should take action to ameliorate the adverse health effects of incarceration and help make our society more just. This article was originally published by . It has been edited for YES! Magazine.聽
As momentum continues to gain for reform efforts in the U.S. penal system, we believe policymakers across the country should take action to ameliorate the adverse health effects of incarceration and help make our society more just. 
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