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Mass Imprisonment as a Public Health Concern?

By rfording

At least that is the claim made by Christopher Wildeman, a sociologist at Yale University who has been conducting research on this topic for the last two years as a Robert Wood Johnson Scholar at the University of Michigan. While political scientists are generally more interested in the politics of imprisonment, a much larger literature now exists on the ?spillover? or ?collateral? effects of the imprisonment boom in the United States. Many studies have documented the effects of imprisonment on those who have been imprisoned. But Wildeman?s research suggests that these effects may go far beyond the lives of the prisoners, and may also include their families and children. The general argument is not new ? many studies have documented the significant economic and psychological consequences of having a spouse and/or parent incarcerated. Indeed, it is not difficult to believe that having the father of your children imprisoned can cause significant financial and emotional stress for a young mother. But Wildeman?s research is the first to show that mass imprisonment can kill ? literally.

Full post as published by Voir Dire on May 27, 2010 (boomark / email).