Incarceration, High-Jail Areas Linked to Increased Mortality in US

A comprehensive national study tracking over 3 million Americans for 11 years has found that both individual incarceration and living in counties with high jail populations are strongly associated with increased mortality rates, including deaths from drug overdoses. People who were incarcerated faced a 39% higher risk of all-cause mortality and were three times more likely to die from overdoses compared to those never incarcerated. Notably, residents in counties with high incarceration rates also experienced elevated death risks, underscoring a community-wide public health impact beyond those directly imprisoned. The research highlights troubling regional disparities, especially in Southeastern U.S. counties where incarceration and mortality rates are highest, reflecting structural inequalities such as poverty and racial disparities. These findings emphasize the urgent need for targeted health care interventions during and after incarceration and call for systemic reforms addressing the broader social and environmental determinants of health in heavily incarcerated communities. The study is the first of its kind to jointly analyze individual and area-level incarceration effects on mortality using robust longitudinal data linking the American Community Survey, National Death Index, and incarceration data from the Vera Institute of Justice.