Examining the Relationship between Incarceration and Population Health: The Roles of Region and Urbanicity

• In Event: Effects of Criminal Justice Contact on Individuals' Health and Family Wellbeing

Abstract

Among the myriad collateral consequences of high rates of U.S. incarceration are its detrimental effects on public health. This study examines the relationship between incarceration rates and population health for a national sample of counties, with a focus on how this relationship is influenced by region (South vs. non-South) and whether a jurisdiction is rural. It uses data from 2015 for multivariate models which account for the endogenous nature of incarceration rate when determining its effect on population health by employing an instrumental variable approach where the robust instrumental (exogenous) variable per capita corrections expenditures is used to predict incarceration rates. Public health outcomes are estimated as a function of predicted incarceration rate alongside factors such as region and urbanicity, public health spending, indicators of health behavior and other key factors. Results indicate that level of incarceration is negatively related to indicators of both morbidity (percentage reporting fair or poor health) and mortality (life expectancy). Implications of these findings for both criminal justice and public health policy, as well as research, are considered.

Authors

• Robert Weidner, University of Minnesota Duluth

• Jennifer Schultz, University of Minnesota Duluth