The Issue

The prevalence of chronic illnesses and communicable diseases among people in prisons and jails is far higher than among other people of comparable ages.¹ Significant illnesses afflicting corrections populations include coronary artery disease, hypertension, diabetes, asthma, chronic lung disease, HIV infection, and hepatitis B and C, among others.² Once released from prison or jail, these people are often among the hardest for the health system to identify and serve. Key challenges to addressing these issues include:

• Inconsistent and ineffective screening and identification of prisoners with physical health issues
• Narrow focus on emergency treatment needs of people who are incarcerated rather than their long-term health and public health generally
• Inadequate communication and cooperation between correctional health officials and community service providers
• Limited capacity of existing community-based services and general reluctance of providers to serve people with criminal records
• Delivery of services and use of medications that do not reflect the most current, evidence-based practices
• Shortages of qualified health care professionals in prison and jail, and high cost of medications

The Response

The Justice Center has developed several resources related to the physical health of individuals leaving jail and prison, including three online tools:

• Keys to Federal Benefits Access: this tool identifies four key issue areas for policymakers seeking to ensure that people who are eligible for Supplemental Security Income/Social Security Disability Insurance and Medicaid are enrolled immediately upon release. Within each key, related recommendations and examples are outlined.
• Federal Benefits Comparison Chart: this chart compares features of several federal benefit programs for which individuals with serious mental illnesses returning from jail or prison may be eligible. In addition, this tool provides information about how current or previous incarceration affects eligibility for these programs.
• Assessment and Risks/Needs Determination Tool: This interactive web-based tool offers the following features: 1) a description of what information should be collected about an individual’s risks and needs; 2) a timeline of when this information should be collected; 3) suggestions about who should be tasked with collecting this information; and 4) a database of assessment instruments commonly used in corrections settings, including those used to assess physical health.

¹ National Commission on Correctional Health Care, The Health Status of Soon-To-Be-Released Prisoners: A Report to Congress, vol. 1 (Chicago: National Commission on Correction Health Care, 2002).
² Ibid.