Using a public health approach to address the incarceration crisis

Madeleine Solan and Charles J. Homer
Fall/Winter (2015–2016) 2016
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Over the past four decades, the rate of incarceration in the United States has quadrupled. With 2.2 million people currently incarcerated and 4 million people under probation or parole, the rate of incarceration in the United States is far beyond the rate of almost every other country, including countries like China, Russia, and Iran. The rates of incarceration are disproportionately high in communities of color, especially among African American men, who are twice as likely as Hispanic men and six times more likely than white men to be admitted to prison during their lifetime. Evidence across a broad array of disciplines convincingly demonstrates that the incarceration rate has exacted a toll on those individuals who are incarcerated, their families (including their children), and their communities.

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