What health risks do people returning from prison or jail face?
In a study of more than 800 individuals released from U.S. prisons, nearly all—eight in 10 men and nine in 10 women—had chronic health conditions requiring treatment or management. In the same study, asthma, diabetes, hepatitis, and HIV/AIDS were the most common physical illnesses among people returning to the community; one-half of men and two-thirds of women had been diagnosed with one of these conditions.1 People in the study often had more than one type of health problem-conditions that they had when they entered the facility and that required ongoing attention upon release.
