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Cited by 203Criminal Justice and Corrections AnalysisCriminal Justice and PenologyHealth disparities and outcomes

Linkages Between Incarceration and Health

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Massoglia, Michael, Remster, Brianna·2019·Public Health Reports®
DOI 10.1177/0033354919826563PMC PMC6505320
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Abstract

The dramatic expansion of the US penal system during the past 4 decades has led to an increase in adverse health conditions that affect an unprecedented number of individuals. This article first provides an overview of the literature on the immediate and lasting associations between incarceration and physical health, highlighting the diverse health conditions linked with incarceration, including health functioning, infectious disease, chronic conditions, and mortality. Next, we discuss potential explanations for the associations between incarceration and these health conditions, focusing on stress, contagion, social integration, and reintegration challenges. We then consider how medical and social science research can be combined to advance our understanding of these health conditions and suggest ways to reduce the negative association between incarceration and health, such as by improving prison conditions and medical care both inside prisons and after release.

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  • Incarceration contributes to deepening existing social and racial inequalities as people who have been incarcerated and their families face serious financial hardship in the form of housing and food insecurity, unemployment, exclusion from social programs after release, and a decreased ability to build or maintain wealth.

    “Incarceration contributes to deepening existing social and racial inequalities as people who have been incarcerated and their families face serious financial hardship in the form of housing and food insecurity, unemployment, exclusion from social programs after release, and a decreased ability to build or maintain wealth”

    From Debt, Incarceration, and Re-entry: a Scoping Review (2021) · cites this paper as Massoglia & Remster, 2019

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Massoglia, M., & Remster, B.
Affiliations
  • University of Wisconsin–Madison (US)
  • Villanova University (US)
Corresponding author
Remster, Brianna
ORCID
Remster, Brianna
Venue
Public Health Reports®
Publisher
SAGE Publications
Published
2019-05
Volume
134
Issue
1_suppl
Pages
8S-14S
ISSN
  • 0033-3549 (ISSN-L)
  • 1468-2877
DOI
10.1177/0033354919826563
PMC
PMC6505320
OpenAlex
W2944811075
Cited by
203
References
10
Citations by year
2026: 29 · 2025: 44 · 2024: 32 · 2023: 36 · 2022: 31 · 2021: 17 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 3
FWCI
3.53
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license (tdm)
Locations
  • Public Health Reports (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Sociology and Political Science › Criminal Justice and Corrections Analysis
  • Social Sciences › Law › Criminal Justice and Penology
  • Social Sciences › Health › Health disparities and outcomes
Keywords
incarceration, prison health, physical health, infectious diseases, chronic disease, mortality, stress, contagion, social integration, reintegration, prison conditions, post-release care, health disparities
MeSH terms
Adult, Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Chronic Disease, Communicable Diseases, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Prisoners, Prisons, United States

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