Prisons and Health in the Age of Mass Incarceration
Jason Schnittker, Michael Massoglia, Christopher Uggen
Abstract
Abstract Mass incarceration is consequential for health, and the filaments that form the connection between prisons and health branch outward. Incarceration undermines the health and well-being of people released from prison. It undermines the health of families, communities, and health care systems. But at the heart of the relationship between prisons and health is a paradox. Prisons are charged, at once, with being punitive and therapeutic, with denying freedom and administering treatment, with confining and rehabilitating. The relationship between incarceration and health is sustained by a variety of social, cultural, and legal forces, and by a failure to recognize that prisons are now squarely in the business of providing care. Understanding how prisons undermine health requires understanding these connections and the history that got us to this point. Addressing the health of people currently and formerly in prison will improve the lives of many. It can also promote a fairer and more effective justice system.