The United States Needs a Health in Prison Project

1
The United States Needs a Health in Prison
Project

• World Federation of Public Health Associations
  May 2009
• Corey Weinstein, MD, CCHP
• American Public Health Association
• International Human Rights Committee

2
US, the Nation That Loves Prisons

• Incarceration Rate 756/100,000
• 2.3 Million behind bars
• 50 non-violent offenders
• Rate 4,630 for African-Americans
• 40 billion per year

3
Harm of Prisons

• Higher crime rates
• Goal of incapacitation
• 52 recidivism
• Illiteracy

4
Health

• High rates of illness related to poverty, drug
  use and trauma
• HIV, HCV, Diabetes, Hypertension, Asthma,
  Epilepsy, MS disorders
• Valley Fever epidemic
• HIV Seroconversion
• Little Harm Reduction

5
Mental Health

• 16 Psychiatric Diagnoses
• Diminished capacity caused by prison
• Anger and misery

6
Relief from idleness and despair
7
Economic Exploitation

• Prison Industrial Complex
• 40,000 per year raw material
• Phone fees a tax on the poor

8
NGOs and Prisons

• American Correctional Association..
• CCA, GEO, CSC, CMS, etc.
• National Commission on Correctional Health Care

9
HIPP Needed in US

• Independent body outside of the electoral
  political fray, and industry
• Links between public health and prison health
• Best Practices harm reduction
• Partnerships
• PAHO