Jail Lockup Tied to Early Death in U.S. Counties
Date:  03-03-2021

A new analysis suggests jail incarceration rates may help drive causes of death like infectious disease and suicide among county residents.
From U.S. News and World Report:

Increases in a county's jail incarceration rate are associated with upticks in premature deaths caused by issues like infectious disease, substance use and suicide among a county's broader population, according to a new study.

The study, published Tuesday by The Lancet Public Health, comes as prison reform advocates such as the American Civil Liberties Union have called on states to release inmates in order to protect them from COVID-19 and ward off spread of the novel coronavirus that causes it. Amid the ongoing pandemic, researchers say their findings "highlight the immediate need to account for jails as drivers of infectious disease spread in the community."

"These findings suggest that interventions to reduce incarceration might result in broader community mortality benefits," according to the study, conducted by researchers from the Columbia University Mailman School of Public Health and Wayne State University. Continue reading >>>