Giving Compass
  • Sign In
  • About Us
    About Giving Compass How We Choose Content and Organizations Annual Reflections Our Newsletter
  • Getting Started
  • Learn About Issues
    Topic Guides
    Animal Welfare COVID-19 Criminal Justice Democracy Disaster Relief Education Environment Health Homelessness Immigrants and Refugees Racial Equity Women and Girls
    Curated Articles
    Partner Collections Giving Compass Selections See All Articles
  • Give to Causes
    Issue Funds & Intermediaries Projects Nonprofits
  • Get Involved
    Philanthropy Resource Directory Events Volunteer Opportunities
  • Partner With Us
    Nonprofits Authors Use Our Content Services Contact Us
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
Sign Up
  • Get the Newsletter
  • Sign In

How Mass Incarceration Harms U.S. Health

The Conversation
This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
Click here for more.
incarceration and health
  •  Share
  •  Save
Share

Giving Compass’ Take:

• Thomas S. McDonald explains how mass incarceration in the United States harms public health as jailed individuals die at an appalling rate. 

• How can philanthropists tackle mass incarceration? How can funders improve the health of imprisoned persons? 

• Learn about the state of mass incarceration in the U.S.


The U.S. incarcerates a higher percentage of its citizens than any other country in the world.

There’s little doubt among researchers that mass incarceration is wreaking havoc on our society, in particular on people of color, LGBTQ and the poor. What’s often overlooked in this discussion is the damage that prisons and jails do to our health – from those who are incarcerated to their family members waiting at home to those who work in detention settings.

As researchers and advocates, we have studied mass incarceration issues and started discussions on the ethics of this practice. To us, the evidence is clear: Mass incarceration is a public health scourge in the U.S.

A majority of those who died were not convicted of any crimes and were being held pretrial, often because they were too poor to afford bail. Those awaiting trial in jail have nearly twice the mortality rate of people who have been convicted and are serving their sentence. This appears to be a testament to the stress associated with being held pretrial.

Even though incarceration often forces individuals to remain sober, being incarcerated generally exacerbates mental health disorders. Research has shown that those with mental illness and substance use disorders have better treatment outcomes outside of correctional facilities.

Read more about how incarceration impacts the health system in the U.S. by Thomas S. McDonald at The Conversation.

  •  Share
  •  Save
Share

Public Health is a complex topic, and others found these selections from the Impact Giving archive from Giving Compass to be good resources.

  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Advancing Social Justice Philanthropy [Audio]

    Edgar Villanueva is a nationally recognized expert on social justice philanthropy. He currently serves as chair of the Board of Directors of Native Americans in Philanthropy and is a board member of the Andrus Family Fund, a national foundation that works to improve outcomes for vulnerable youth. Villanueva is an instructor with the Grantmaking School at the Johnson Center at Grand Valley State University and serves as vice president of programs and advocacy at the Schott Foundation for Public Education, where he oversees grant investment and capacity-building supports for education justice campaigns across the United States. He previously had leadership roles at Kate B. Reynolds Charitable Trust in North Carolina and the Marguerite Casey Foundation in Seattle. Villanueva is the author of Decolonizing Wealth, which offers hopeful and compelling alternatives to the dynamics of colonization in the philanthropic and social finance sectors. He holds two degrees from the Gillings School of Global Public Health at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill. He is an enrolled member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina and resides in Brooklyn, New York. Read the full article about advancing social justice philanthropy by Andrew Baskin at B the Change.


Looking for a way to get involved?

Learning with others and benchmarking are key steps towards becoming an impact giver. If you are interested in giving with impact for Crime and Safety, take a look at these events, galas, conferences and volunteering opportunities to connect with individuals like you.

Loading...
Learn More

Are you ready to give?

If you are ready to take action and invest in causes for Crime and Safety, check out these Giving Funds, Charitable Organizations and Projects related to Crime and Safety.

Loading...
Learn More
Connect

Loading...

Loading...

Learn More
Take Action

Loading...

Loading...

Loading...

Learn More
More from
Giving Compass
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    New Report Reveals Staggering Number of Preventable Deaths in Local Jails
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    A Guide to Addressing Jail Overcrowding
  • This article is deemed a must-read by one or more of our expert collaborators.
    Click here for more.
    Correctional Control: Report Highlights Disparities in States’ Use of Parole
Follow Us
Newsletter

Become a newsletter subscriber to stay up-to-date on the latest Giving Compass news.

About Us
  • About Giving Compass
  • In The News
  • Contact Us
  • Content at Giving Compass
  • Partner With Us
Trending Issues
  • Environment
  • Homelessness
  • STEM Education
  • Equal Pay Act
  • Gender Equality

Copyright © 2021, Giving Compass, LLC

•
  • Privacy Policy
  • User Agreement

Sign in

Your personal information is confidential at Giving Compass. For more information, please visit our privacy policy. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use.