Health Status of Soon-To-Be-Released Inmates: A Report to Congress, Volume 1

摘要

In the Omnibus Consolidated Appropriations Act of 1997, Congress instructed the U.S. Department of Justice to set aside funding for a study of The Health Status of Soon-To-Be-Released Inmates. As a result of these earmarked funds, the National Institute of Justice (NIJ), the research and evaluation arm of the U.S. Department of Justice,entered into a cooperative agreement with the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) to conduct the study. This report is the culmination of the projects work. The project has shown unmistakably that a unique opportunity exists to reduce the health risks and financial costs to the community that are associated with releasing large numbers of inmates with undiagnosed and untreated diseases. Volume 1 of The Health Status of Soon-To-Be-Released Inmates has seven chapters. This summary outlines the information presented in considerably more detail in the following seven chapters. It is important to read the entire volume to gain a full understanding of the problems and opportunities associated with the health status of inmates. Volume 2 of the report includes the papers commissioned for the project. They form the basis for the projects findings and policy recommendations.