title: The case for improving the health of ex-prisoners.
abstract: The global prison population exceeds 10 million and continues to grow; more than 30 million people are released from custody annually. These individuals are disproportionately poor, disenfranchised, and chronically ill. There are compelling, evidence-based arguments for improving health outcomes for ex-prisoners on human rights, public health, criminal justice, and economic grounds. These arguments stand in stark contrast to current policy and practice in most settings. There is also a dearth of evidence to guide clinicians and policymakers on how best to care for this large and growing population during and after their transition from custody to community. Well-designed longitudinal studies, clinical trials, and burden of disease studies are pivotal to closing this evidence gap.
authors.affiliation: Stuart A. Kinner is with the Melbourne School of Population and Global Health, University of Melbourne, VIC, Australia, and the School of Medicine, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Australia. Emily A. Wang is with the Section of General Internal Medicine, Department of Medicine, Yale University, New Haven, CT.
authors.forename: Stuart A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Kinner
authors.forename: Emily A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Wang
mesh_terms: D003695:Delivery of Health Care; D014943:Global Health; D006304:Health Status; D006806:Human Rights; D006801:Humans; D011329:Prisoners; D011634:Public Health; D012449:Safety