COVID-19 has highlighted the racial/ethnic and health disparities faced by individuals who are involved in the criminal justice system. Jails, prisons, and community supervision programs disproportionately incarcerate and surveil Black people, Indigenous people and people of color, as well as individuals with chronic health conditions, including mental illness and substance use disorders. From testing and containment to depopulation efforts and vaccination strategies, people involved in the criminal justice system have been among the populations most impacted by the pandemic. These challenges, although illuminated by the COVID-19 pandemic, are rooted in long-standing and structural deficiencies in both criminal justice and health care systems. The webinar covers the clinical, operational, and policy failures that have contributed to health disparities among individuals involved in the criminal justice system over the last several decades. Speakers reflected on how the events of the last year, including the pandemic and the national conversation on structural racism, may influence health and health care among justice-involvement populations in the years ahead.

Presenters:

• Alexandra Duncan, MPH, PhD, Senior Officer at Substance Use Prevention and Treatment Initiative, The Pew Charitable Trusts
• Homer Venters, MD, Physician, Epidemiologist and the former Chief Medical Office of the New York City Correctional Health Services
• Emily Wang, MD, Professor of Medicine, Yale School of Medicine, SEICHE Center for Health and Justice