Research has revealed that incarcerating young people is a public health issue as discussed in a recent policy brief entitled “The Public Health Impacts of Youth Incarceration.” Not only does it cause them physiological and psychological harm, but it harms the health of entire communities. Incarceration interrupts critical development, retraumatizes youth who have had adverse childhood experiences, and is linked to long-term depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, suicide risk, and chronic disease, which hurts families and burdens communities after their release.
This episode examines the incarceration of young people as a harmful social determinant of health. It explores how during incarceration people do not receive needed mental and physical healthcare, and access to nutrition. Further, after release, they experience gaps in treatment due to distrust and lack of insurance.
