Health Services and Jail Mortality

• In Event: Gender, Health, and the Politics of Care in Correctional Institutions

Abstract

Each year, roughly nine million people cycle through United States jails. While some are released, others die behind bars. United States jails have become an increasingly deadly form of incarceration and have remained an understudied place of punishment. To abide by the eighth amendment right to inmates’ protection from cruel and unusual punishment, it is imperative to understand jail mortality and work to decrease the likelihood of dying behind bars. Using nationally representative data on jail mortality and services, we examine associations between mortality rates and jail health services in approximately 100 US jails. Our objective is to determine whether inmates’ access to jail health services corresponds to lower mortality rates. We hypothesize that jails with both mental and physical health services will exhibit lower mortality rates than those with either mental health services or physical health services, or neither. Jails that prioritize budgeting for health services likely see a reduction in mortality, both self-inflicted and due to physical maladies. Jail health service research has implications for human rights, recidivism, and community health.

Authors

• Brooke McCormick, Florida State University

• Jennifer E. Copp, Florida State University