A consequence of mass incarceration: county-level association between jail incarceration rates and poor mental health days
Researchers examining the link between county-level incarceration rates and the mental health of communities found that “for every 1% increase in the rate of mass incarceration, there was a statistically significant 15% increase in the average number of reported poor mental health days over the past 30 days.” This suggests that the adverse effects of mass incarceration extend beyond those directly affected and spillover into the broader population.