During the meeting Rev. Jesse Jackson, Sr., along with public health officials and correctional experts, will devise strategies to link correctional health and public health in a continuum of care for detainees when released. In addition, conference participants will create the first-ever guidelines to inform and guide health policy. The importance of linking health care and disease prevention in correctional facilities and to other communities is essential.
Detainees come from the community and they return to it.
HIV infection and AIDS are more prevalent among inmates than the total U.S. population. Currently, there are more than 1.8 million individuals incarcerated in U.S. jails and prisons and 6 million individuals under some form of criminal justice supervision. By the year 2000, it is estimated that there will be two million people detained. These individuals are typically minorities with low income and are medically disenfranchised prior to incarceration. Moreover, detainees have a disproportionately high rate of infectious diseases, substance abuse, high-risk sexual activity and other health problems.