A Public Health Approach to Incarceration: Opportunities for Action

The rapid expansion of the criminal justice system from the 1970s through the early 2000s, commonly known as “mass incarceration,” has had broad effects on health, not only for those incarcerated but also for their families and communities. As the science of prevention and promotion, public health is well-positioned to mitigate risks and promote ways to protect against criminal justice involvement and incarceration.  In June 2014, Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health convened a conference of 45 Deans of schools/programs throughout the U.S. to identify opportunities to integrate incarceration and public safety issues into the fabric of curricula, research, and practice.  Within three months post-conference, participants were surveyed regarding their respective plans for bringing the issue of incarceration to the forefront of the public health agenda.  Among the 42 (93%) of institutions responding, nearly 40% indicated they intended to increase educational offerings in the next six months on the issue of incarceration and public health.  Over half (55%) plan to add new content to existing courses.  Notably, 63% indicated intent to increase research efforts on this issue.  Reported planned partners included local CBOs, prisons/jails and other academic departments. Emergent recommendations include that schools/programs of public health should take a leadership role in changing the narrative about incarceration and should develop meaningful collaborations with local prisons, jails, and CBOs. Schools/programs of public health are well positioned to catalyze the change in perception, the public health agenda and policies regarding incarceration for current and future cadres of public health practitioners.