Researchers say that the number of people with mental illnesses, addiction disorders, and chronic and infectious diseases who receive their medical care in a jail or prison is growing.
By the mid-point of 2007, approximately 13 million inmates have been admitted to United States jails during the previous 12 months. New research shows more and more persons with mental illnesses, addiction disorders, and chronic and infectious diseases receive their medical care in a jail or prison.
Incarcerated populations have been
mostly excluded from university-based health research.This exclusion leaves critical questions related specifically to inmate populations largely unstudied and unanswered.
The vast majority of incarcerated persons in the United States eventually return home and impact the health of their communities.
"Excluding incarcerated patient populations from university-based research is increasingly viewed as thwarting needed advancements in public health," writes Newton E. Kendig, MD, assistant director, health services division, Federal Bureau of Prisons, in an introduction to the issue.
The first Academic and Health Policy Conference on Correctional Health recently hosted by UMass Medical School, was looking for ways to bridge the gap between correctional health care and academic medicine. It linked academic researchers with correctional health care administrators and clinicians and with the broader public health community.
The three main articles summarize the work of three task forces from the Conference that focused on, respectively, primary care, infectious disease and mental health. The articles are
Infectious Disease in Correctional Health Care: Pursuing a Research Agenda,
Correctional Mental Health Research: Opportunities and Barriers, and
Correctional Health Primary Care: Research and Educational Opportunities.
The three articles address the status quo in each area, identify areas in which research and education are especially needed, and highlight challenges.
"We hope this special section will inspire collaborations between academia and corrections to further the scope of research that is so vitally needed to improve health outcomes," said JCHC editor John Miles, MPA.
"Such efforts promise great benefits not only for thousands of inmates but also for the health of the public as a whole."
Not Including Inmates In Health Research Hampers Public Health Advancement
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