A Deep Dive into the Health and Wellbeing of Incarcerated Adults Serving JLWOP Sentences

• In Event: Stacked Risks of Juvenile Life Without Parole (JLWOP): Childhood Systems Involvement, Adult Health, and Reentry Concerns

Abstract

Introduction: Incarceration is a known social determinant of health but how it shapes health may vary by incarceration factors—including timing in the life course and duration. To date, no research has comprehensively assessed the long-term health of individuals sentenced as children to life without parole (JLWOP).

Methods: We surveyed a national sample of 430 incarcerated adults (ages 29-73) who were sentenced to JLWOP prior to 2012, assessing domains of mental and physical health and wellbeing using validated measures.

Results: On average, respondents were 43 years old and imprisoned for 25.5 years. About 43% reported unmet medical needs and ~27% unmet mental health needs. Fewer than half had a physical exam in the previous year, and 55% reported extreme illness/injury in the past three years. Over half reported difficulties with both sleep and chronic pain. Commonly reported diagnoses included high blood pressure (~37%), arthritis (~26%), anxiety (~45%), and PTSD (~34%). Childhood and recent adversities worsened health problems, whereas higher social support appeared protective.

Discussion: People sentenced to JLWOP shoulder health burdens that are compounded by cumulative adversity and long-term incarceration that began in childhood, reinforcing the need for improved access to trauma-informed health care and social support within correctional settings.

Authors

• Daphne Brydon, University of Cincinnati

• Dylan B. Jackson, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health

• Jeffrey T. Ward, Temple University

• Leah Ouellet, Rutgers University

• Alexander Testa, University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston

• Laura S. Abrams, University of Southern California