Addressing the Harms of Structural Racism on Health in Incarcerated Youth Through Improved Nutrition and Exercise...

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Sociology
• Criminology

Background:

• Hundreds of thousands of youth, disproportionately youth of color, enter the juvenile legal system annually.
• Racial disparities have increased at all stages of the juvenile legal system, despite declining youth arrests.
• Youth of color often have pre-existing trauma and stress, which are exacerbated by system involvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the health impacts of structural racism in the policing and incarceration of youth of color.
• To highlight social determinants of adolescent health.
• To advocate for strategies that eliminate the harms of youth detention and incarceration.

Main Methods:

• Literature review on social determinants of adolescent health.
• Analysis of health impacts of youth detention and incarceration.
• Examination of structural racism in policing and juvenile justice.

Main Results:

• Youth detention and incarceration contribute to unhealthy weight, hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
• Unhealthy food environments, limited physical activity, and incarceration stress exacerbate poor health outcomes.
• Structural racism in policing and incarceration negatively impacts the health and well-being of youth of color.

Conclusions:

• Eliminating the harms of youth detention requires a public health approach and community-based alternatives.
• System-involved youth health can be improved through harm reduction strategies within detention settings.
• Further research is needed to understand and address the health impacts on system-involved youth.