Making Correctional Health Care Education Integral to Health Care Training

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Health Equity
• Medical Education

Background:

• Incarceration is linked to adverse health outcomes for individuals, families, and communities.
• Healthcare learners receive insufficient structured training on the health impacts of incarceration.
• Equity-focused curricula are expanding, but often exclude the effects of incarceration.

Purpose of the Study:

• Advocate for integrating incarceration-focused education into healthcare training.
• Highlight the necessity of this training due to disproportionate incarceration rates among Black, Indigenous, and Latinx populations.
• Propose expanding didactic and clinical experiences related to carceral and post-release health.

Main Methods:

• Commentary synthesizing existing literature.
• Historical analysis of structural racism in the correctional system.
• Discussion of health impacts across individual, family, and community levels.

Main Results:

• Structural racism is deeply embedded in the correctional system.
• Incarceration profoundly affects physical and mental health, family stability, and community well-being.
• Current healthcare training inadequately addresses the health consequences of incarceration.

Conclusions:

• A curriculum addressing incarceration's health impact is essential for healthcare training.
• Training must acknowledge and address the disproportionate impact on marginalized communities.
• Expanding educational content and clinical experiences is vital for improving care for incarcerated and formerly incarcerated individuals.