Medical Problems Reported by Prisoners: Survey of Prison Inmates, 2016

• NCJ Number: 252644
• Date Published: June 2021
• Author(s): Laura M. Maruschak; Jennifer Bronson; Mariel Alper
• Length: 12 pages
• Agencies: BJS
• Publication Type: Statistics

Annotation

This BJS report presents data on medical problems reported by state and federal prisoners from the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates, and highlights differences in chronic conditions and infectious diseases by demographic characteristic.

Abstract

This BJS report presents data on the prevalence of medical problems reported by state and federal prisoners, highlighting differences in chronic conditions and infectious diseases by demographic characteristic. Findings are based on self-reported data from the 2016 Survey of Prison Inmates.

Highlights of the report include:

• About 51% of state and 43% of federal prisoners reported ever having a chronic condition, while 40% of state and 33% of federal prisoners reported currently having a chronic condition.
• An estimated 17% of state and 10% of federal prisoners reported ever having an infectious disease.
• Ten percent of state and 4% of federal prisoners reported ever having hepatitis C, the most common infectious disease reported.
• More than a quarter of state (29%) and federal (26%) prisoners reported ever having high blood pressure, the most common chronic condition reported.