Even when policies have seemingly nothing to do with health, they can affect health outcomes. For example, education, housing, and environment policies influence the conditions in which people live and the choices they make.
Now, a new study reveals how incarceration policies can affect health outcomes too. While less recognized, incarceration plays a meaningful role in population health and birth outcomes, according to the study from LDI Senior Fellows Courtney Boen and Atheendar Venkataramani, Penn HEDAP Analyst Elizabeth Bair, and Duke Professor of Sociology Hedwig Lee.