Nickolas Zaller

This study examined whether incarceration before age 18 is associated with adult physical violence, sexual violence, and intimate partner violence (IPV) victimization. Using cross-sectional survey data from the 2025 VEX surveys in California, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Texas ( N = 7,040), we estimated adjusted prevalence ratios using multivariable Poisson regression. Compared with never-incarcerated respondents, individuals first incarcerated as minors had a higher prevalence of physical violence, sexual violence, and IPV victimization. Similar associations were observed among those first incarcerated in adulthood. Findings suggest that incarceration is associated with greater vulnerability to violence victimization during adulthood, regardless of age at first incarceration.

This manuscript is the product of the authors’ discussions, literature overview, and consultation with experts in the field, and identifies important gaps in the evidence base for substance use disorder (SUD) treatment effectiveness within criminal justice (CJ) settings. Lacking from the extant literature are longitudinal investigations of treatment related outcomes during and after incarceration. Such studies could provide rich contextual data about treatment delivery and effectiveness across the CJ continuum, and would provide important insight into individual characteristics (e.g., motivation, treatment modality preferences, treatment completion rates, etc.) as well as institutional and environmental factors (e.g., appropriate staffing, space limitations for individual treatment sessions, distribution of medications, etc.). We also identified the importance of reproducibility within CJ research, and the unfortunate reality of too many single studies conducted in single (or relatively few) correctional facilities. Some of this has been because the studies designed to produce that evidence are not prioritized for funding, which has continually placed researchers in a position where we cannot make firm conclusions or recommendations based on available evidence. The importance of replicating the foundational studies in this field cannot be overstated. We hope this article spurs other researchers to join in the healthy process of questioning the existing state of the CJ-based SUD treatment research, what should be re-examined, and how we can lay a stronger foundation for the future.

People with lived experience of incarceration have higher rates of morbidity and mortality compared to people without history of incarceration. Research conducted unethically in prisons and jails led to increased scrutiny of research to ensure the needs of those studied are protected. One consequence of increased restrictions on research with criminal-legal involved populations is reluctance to engage in research evaluations of healthcare for people who are incarcerated and people who have lived experience of incarceration. Ethical research can be done in partnership with people with lived experience of incarceration and other key stakeholders and should be encouraged. In this article, we describe how stakeholder engagement can be accomplished in this setting, and further, how such engagement leads to impactful research that can be disseminated and implemented across disciplines and communities. The goal is to build trust across the spectrum of people who work, live in, or are impacted by the criminal-legal system, with the purpose of moving toward health equity.

Introduction:The USA has higher rates of preterm birth and incarceration than any other developed nation, with rates of both being highest in Southern states and among Black Americans, potentially due to rurality and socioeconomic factors. To test our hypothesis that prior-year county-level rates of jail admission, economic distress, and rurality were positively associated with premature birth rates in the county of delivery in 2019 and that the strength of these associations is greater for Black women than for White or Hispanic women, we merged five datasets to perform multivariable analysis of data from 766 counties across 12 Southern/rural states. Methods:We used multivariable linear regression to model the percentage of babies born premature, stratified by Black (Model 1), Hispanic (Model 2), and White (Model 3) mothers. Each model included all three independent variables of interest measured using data from the Vera Institute, Distressed Communities Index, and Index of Relative Rurality. Results:In fully fitted stratified models, economic distress was positively associated with premature births among Black (F = 33.81, p < 0.0001) and White (F = 26.50, p < 0.0001) mothers. Rurality was associated with premature births among White mothers (F = 20.02, p < 0.0001). Jail admission rate was not associated with premature births among any racial group, and none of the study variables were associated with premature births among Hispanic mothers. Conclusions:Understanding the connections between preterm birth and enduring structural inequities is a necessary scientific endeavor to advance to later translational stages in health-disparities research

Objective: The purpose of this study was to understand the uses of telehealth with justice‐involved adults under community supervision with substance use problems, including their experiences during the pandemic.Methods: Structured interviews were administered among 17 justice‐involved adults under community supervision about their experiences with telehealth services to treat substance use disorders. Thematic coding was used for the analysis.Results: We identified 5 primary themes: (1) knowledge about and experiences with telehealth services during the pandemic; (2) telehealth services available; (3) service changes during the pandemic; and (4) individual motivations around treatment‐seeking behavior.Conclusion: Overall, our findings reveal that many individuals on probation or parole appreciate having access to telehealth and found that modality convenient for counseling services. Findings shed light on participants' understanding of telehealth, their experiences in using the modality, and how this modality may serve their needs in other ways. External and internal barriers to accessing telehealth are also discussed.

Purpose: Little is known about factors affecting HIV care engagement and retention among rural people with HIV (PWH) in the South. About half of PWH in Arkansas reside in rural areas. The purpose of this study was to explore factors affecting engagement and retention in HIV care among PWH in rural areas of Arkansas.Methods: We conducted an exploratory qualitative study in 2020 and completed individual interviews (N = 11) with PWH in rural counties in Arkansas.Findings: Content analysis revealed the following themes: (1) Barriers to HIV care included long distances to the nearest HIV clinic and transportation issues along with anticipating and/or experiencing HIV‐related stigma; (2) facilitators of HIV care included having a helpful HIV care provider and Ryan White case manager and a social support network that aided them in prioritizing their own health; (3) participants had the most favorable reactions to Ryan White case management, peer navigators, and telemedicine for HIV treatment/care; and (4) participants demonstrated resilience overcoming various obstacles as they worked toward being healthy mentally and physically while living with HIV.Conclusion: Interventions need to address multilevel factors, including hiring PWH as peer navigators and/or caseworkers and offering HIV care via telemedicine, to improve HIV care engagement and retention among rural populations.

Introduction: The US South is the epicenter of the epidemic of mass incarceration. Prisons have experienced substantial challenges in preventing COVID-19. Incarcerated individuals and prison staff are at a high risk for infection due to minimal available preventive measures. Prisons are not closed systems and many staff come from communities in close proximity to the facility. Characteristics of the communities immediately surrounding prisons are an overlooked but critical factor to better understand the role prisons play in pandemics. Methods: We used facility-level COVID-19 data from the COVID Prison Project to identify the number of unique outbreaks between May 2019 and May 2020. We used a county-level composite indicator of economic distress (DCI score) to identify the environment surrounding each prison (2015-2019). We modeled the number of outbreaks to DCI scores using negative binomial regression, adjusting for race/ethnicity (African American and Latino/Hispanic), age (65 and older), and rurality level. Results: Our sample included 570 prisons in 368 counties across 13 Southern states. We found that score was positively and significantly associated with prison COVID-19 outbreaks (aRR, 1.012; p < 0.0001), and rurality was potentially a stronger surrogate measure of economic distress (aRR, 1.35; p, 0.02). Economic stability is a key precursor to physical health. Poorer communities have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic, and we found that prisons located in these communities were more susceptible to recurring outbreaks. Prison-based disease prevention interventions should consider the impact that the outside world has on the health of incarcerated individuals.

To explore the attitude towards COVID-19 vaccination among healthcare workers in the US, we surveyed three groups of individuals (essential non-healthcare workers, general healthcare workers, and correctional healthcare workers). We found surprisingly high portions of healthcare workers with COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy/resistance, with 23% of correctional healthcare workers and 17% general healthcare workers (as compared to 12%) refusing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Multivariate regression models suggest that current season flu vaccination (aOR = 3.34), relying on employer for COVID-19 information (aOR = 3.69), and living in the Midwest (aOR = 5.04) to be strongly associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among essential workers and general healthcare workers. Current season flu vaccination (aOR = 7.52) is also strongly associated with COVID-19 vaccine acceptance among correctional healthcare workers. Potential mechanisms of vaccine hesitancy/resistance among healthcare workers involves low health literacy and employer mistrust. Our findings are highly relevant as we try to reach COVID-19 vaccination goals in the US.