Justice involved women: Implications of physical and behavioral health issues

The number of women arrested is rising while arrest rates for men have declined in the past decade. Justice involved women bring with them significant physical and behavioral health challenges. The reasons for high rates of justice involvement are myriad but include histories of substance abuse, trauma, poverty, homelessness, exposure to ongoing violence as well as legislative and sentencing practices. The health issues are then exacerbated by a lack of understanding of the chronic and high risk health conditions, as well as the capacity to treat this population. This presentation will discuss physical/behavioral health of justice involved women as a public health issue and the importance of collaborations between health and justice systems.