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Abstract
<p class="first" id="d21158933e71">In this Series paper, we examine how mass incarceration
shapes inequality in health.
The USA is the world leader in incarceration, which disproportionately affects black
populations. Nearly one in three black men will ever be imprisoned, and nearly half
of black women currently have a family member or extended family member who is in
prison. However, until recently the public health implications of mass incarceration
were unclear. Most research in this area has focused on the health of current and
former inmates, with findings suggesting that incarceration could produce some short-term
improvements in physical health during imprisonment but has profoundly harmful effects
on physical and mental health after release. The emerging literature on the family
and community effects of mass incarceration points to negative health impacts on the
female partners and children of incarcerated men, and raises concerns that excessive
incarceration could harm entire communities and thus might partly underlie health
disparities both in the USA and between the USA and other developed countries. Research
into interventions, policies, and practices that could mitigate the harms of incarceration
and the post-incarceration period is urgently needed, particularly studies using rigorous
experimental or quasi-experimental designs.
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