Equal Justice Initiative

Background: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the U.S. Mass incarceration is a national public health issue, with the US having the highest incarceration rate in the world. However, there is a paucity of data on cardiovascular mortality among incarcerated individuals, or how the racialization of mass incarceration contributes to cardiovascular health inequities. The aim of this study was to evaluate the burden of cardiovascular mortality, trends in cardiovascular deaths, as well as racial differences in cardiovascular death and receipt of care among those incarcerated in U.S. state prisons from 2001-2019. Methods: We utilized the database “Mortality in Correctional Institutions: ICD-10 Diagnosis Codes for Natural Deaths Occurring in State Prison or Local Jail Custody, 2000-2019” from the United States Bureau of Justice Statistics. This database collects inmate death records from each of the nation’s 50 state prison systems. We extracted all deaths related to cardiovascular causes to evaluate the epidemiology of individuals with cardiovascular death, trends in cardiovascular death rates, and differences between racial groups. Results: From 2000-2019, there were a total of 18227 (28.0%) deaths secondary to cardiovascular causes among those incarcerated in US state prisons. The rate of CV death increased from 71.3 per 100,000 persons in 2001 to 94 per 100,000 persons in 2019. Black individuals who died while incarcerated had higher rates of death related to a cardiovascular cause than White individuals (30.9% vs. 27.8%, p<0.0001). Black individuals had higher rates of death due to ischemic heart disease (23.2% vs 21.9%) and hypertensive-related cardiovascular deaths (3.71% vs. 2.96%) as compared to white counterparts (p<0.001). Black incarcerated individuals who died from a cardiovascular cause were less likely to be evaluated by a medical provider in prison (78.6% vs. 81.9%; p<0.0001), were less likely to have a diagnostic test performed (65.3% vs. 69%, p<0.0001), were less likely to receive medications (68.1% vs 72.6%, p<0.001), as well as treatment other than medications (49.1% vs 52.8%, p <0.0001) for the condition which caused death as compared to White counterparts. Conclusions: Deaths due to cardiovascular causes are high among patients incarcerated in US state prisons. Combined with decarceral efforts to address mass incarceration, strategies to ensure quality and equitable cardiovascular care for this population are needed.

Abstract A majority of Lowndes County, Alabama, residents live without properly functioning, legal, basic sanitation infrastructure. We describe the contemporary racialization of sanitation inequality in the county. We trace structural dimensions of race in land tenure through the heir property system, housing availability, and public health enforcement. Our analysis shows how cumulative effects of colorblind policies overlain on explicitly racist foundations operate to establish public health sanitation law as a persistent mechanism of producing racial stratification.