How does incarceration impact your health?

February is American Heart Month, and we join in raising awareness about cardiovascular disease–the number 1 killer of women. Incarceration creates multiple risk factors for heart disease including:

  • A prison diet high in starch and sugar
  • Lack of exercise opportunities
  • High levels of stress

Studies have shown that the health risks only increase upon release. “People recently released from incarceration are more likely to die; in the first two weeks following release, risk of death among formerly incarcerated individuals was 12.7 times higher than that of the general population with cardiovascular disease as the second leading cause of death.”

Share This Post: