Whether in prisons, jails, juvenile justice, or in the community, people involved in North Carolina’s justice system have unique needs and face unique barriers to care. Jails and prisons have become the “de facto safety net of last resort,” and the needs of those incarcerated continue to become more complex.

The latest issue of the North Carolina Medical Journal examines the challenges and opportunities in providing healthcare to our state’s justice-involved population. It includes an original article focused on the prevalence of health conditions among adults released from prison in North Carolina and commentaries on hospital-based medical care for incarcerated people, hepatitis C in the prison population, behavioral health services for justice-involved people, and more.

“Incarceration not only concentrates together people of poor health, but through a variety of mechanisms—most of which are harmful—it influences the health of the individuals behind bars, with consequences for the health of the families and communities to which they return,” write guest editors David L. Rosen, PhD, MD and Evan A. Ashkin, MD of the UNC School of Medicine and Elizabeth J. Gifford, PhD of the Sanford School of Public Policy at Duke University.

Click here for the full issue and below to read individual articles.