Exposing the deadly health risks of incarceration

After years of investigating injuries in the NYC jails, Prisoner Health Warrior Homer Venters determined that a new injury surveillance system is required in order to adequately report injuries among patients in jail settings. This led Homer to uncover how the jail setting itself could pose health risks to patients. Homer discovered two specific and deadly health risks of jail: “jail attributable death” and “dual loyalty”. Homer and his team began training health staff in jails and prisons on these concepts.With Homer’s help, the Justice Department launched a formal investigation into brutality behind bars, making way for transparency about data reporting in jails and prisons.

To learn about approaches that would make a tremendous difference in closing the “unconscionable divide” between community health and correctional health, watch Homer’s 2020 TEDMED Talk "Exposing the deadly health risks of incarceration".