This piece is part of an ongoing series by Boston University’s Dr. Sandro Galea on the intricacies of health care and public health.
Last month, President Trump signed into law the First Step Act, bipartisan legislation aimed at reforming the criminal justice system. Among other reforms, the Act increases the number of “good time” credits inmates can earn and apply towards a reduced sentence, modifies the “three strikes” rule so people with three or more convictions are automatically given 25 years in prison instead of life, and makes it easier for judges to opt out of delivering mandatory minimum sentences.
While the reach of these reforms is relatively modest, affecting only federal prison inmates—nearly 180,000 of the total incarcerated population of about2.2 million—the Act is nevertheless a step in the right direction. It points towards a justice system that is more what it was always supposed to be: just. It also points towards better health. Mass incarceration is a significant public health challenge in the US.
Inmates face a range of harmful exposures, from hepatitis to HIV, a risk driven by the prison environment. Incarceration also undermines the health of families. Close to 2.7 million children have an incarcerated parent. More than half of these parents were the primary earners supporting their kids. Their absence can make it harder for children to grow up with the basic necessities needed for a healthy life. More broadly, mass incarceration can threaten the health of whole communities. People living in neighborhoods with a high incarceration rate are likelier to meet the criteria for major depressive disorder. There are also abundant data that suggest a link between incarceration and rates of violence in communities.
[For more on this story by SANDRO GALEA, go to http://fortune.com/2019/01/20/martin-luther-king-day-health-justice/ ]
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