Carceral Residents’ Physical Health Concerns

In this informative episode, we’ll help correctional staff understand some of the major issues contributing to poor physical health among residents. Using research evidence as our framework, we consider food and nutrition, vitamin and mineral intake, commissary prices, and in-custody healthcare co-pays.

Download the one-pager (PDF).

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Berkowitz, S. A., Basu, S., Gundersen, C., & Seligman, H. K. (2019). State-level and county level estimates of health care costs associated with food insecurity. Preventing Chronic Disease, 16.

Kris-Etherton, P. M., Petersen, K. S., Hibbeln, J. R., Hurley, D., Kolick, V., Peoples, S., ... & Woodward-Lopez, G. (2021). Nutrition and behavioral health disorders: depression and anxiety. Nutrition Reviews, 79(3), 247–260.

Schoenthaler, S., Gast, D., Giltay, E. J., & Amos, S. (2023). The effects of vitamin-mineral supplements on serious rule violations in correctional facilities for young adult male inmates: A randomized controlled trial. Crime & Delinquency, 69(4), 822–840.

Wiggins, R. (2021). A pound of flesh: How medical copayments in prison cost inmates their health and set them up for reoffense. U. Colo. L. Rev., 92, 255.

Zgoba, K. M., Tewksbury, R., & Mustaine, E. (2020). Who gets the biggest bang for the buck? A review of minimum wage and purchasing power in prison commissaries versus superstores. Journal of Crime and Justice, 43(1), 36–48.

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This project was supported by Grant [5PBJA-22-AG-00031-MUMU] awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. The Bureau of Justice Assistance is a component of the Office of Justice Programs, which also includes the Bureau of Justice Statistics, the National Institute of Justice, the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, the Office for Victims of Crime, and Office of Sex Offender Sentencing, Monitoring, Apprehending, Registering, and Tracking. Points of view or opinions in this podcast are those of the host and the research team and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the U.S. Department of Justice.