Content by Keyword: Vulnerable Populations

Type of Activity:  Services, Training, Information Dissemination and/or Research (varies by university center) Funding Mechanism:  Grant Total Available Funding:  $39 Million for UCEEDs Number of Awards:  67 Average Award Amount per year:  $582,000 Length of Project Period:  5 years

Type of Activity:  Demonstration Projects Funding Mechanism:  Discretionary Grants Total Available Funding:  $49.3 Million Number of Awards:  149 Average Award Amount per Year:  $303,504 Length of Project Period:  3 years Federal Partners:  None

Boyer, E.M., Nielsen-Thompson, N.J., & Hill, T.J. (2002). A comparison of dental caries and tooth loss for Iowa prisoners with other prison populations and dentate U.S. adults.  Journal of Dental Hygiene , Spring: 76(2), 141-150. Brunswick, M. (2005, February 6). ‘Meth mouth’ plagues many state prisoners.  Star Tribune . Retr

At any one time, over 7.3 million people are on probation, in jail, in prison, or on parole in the United States . Each year, more than 735,000 individuals return home from prison and nine million cycle through the nation’s nearly 3,000 jails (Robinson, 2010). The Department supports the reentry of formerly incarcerated individuals into communit

Incarcerated women represent about ten percent of the incarcerated population. While they exhibit many of the same disease patterns as men, there are some additional factors that are worth addressing. First, the rates of mental illness appear to be significantly higher for women than for men; in one study, 73 percent of female inmates had mental h

Dental health needs are commonly reported by inmates but information on severity and care is limited. One study finds that over one-third of inmates reported problems with their gums and teeth and less than a quarter of men and two-fifths of women had seen a dentist in the last year. An Iowa study found that the state’s incarcerated population h

Few studies look at the prevalence of chronic illness among jail or prison inmates. Although, a National Commission on Correctional Health Care report (2001) states that the prevalence of chronic illnesses and communicable diseases is greater among people in jails and prisons. Hypertension, asthma, and diabetes are among the more common chronic di

Infectious diseases appear at higher rates among inmates than among the general public (Colsher et al., 1992; Fitzgerald et al. 1984; Garrity et al., 2003; Kahn et al, 2004; Lindquist and Lindquist, 1999; Wallace et al., 1991; Hammett et al., 2002). The estimated prevalence of HIV infection in the United States is over two times higher among incar

Substantial evidence shows that the use and abuse of illegal drugs and the abuse of legal drugs — including alcohol, tobacco/nicotine, and prescription drugs — are prevalent health issues in incarcerated populations (Hammett, Roberts, and Kennedy, 2001).

No ongoing data collection system exists to provide information on the health status of prisoners leaving prison or jail. Data are available, although not always systematically, on the health of individuals while they are incarcerated, and one can assume that these health conditions are similarly found in the population of prisoners that are relea

Empirical evidence shows that most individuals released from prison will return there for new crimes or technical violations within three years of being released (Langan and Levin, 2002). What results, then, is a cycle of removal and return in communities with already large concentrations of social and economic disadvantage. Generally, this phenom

Incarceration severely affects intimate relationships, including those with partners and children, by creating barriers to intimacy, family involvement, and economic contributions. Western (2004) documents that incarceration affects family formation. Using data from the Fragile Families and Child Well-being Study, he found that formerly incarcerat

Of special concern to HHS are the nearly 7.5 million children, more than 10 percent of children under age 18, who have a parent who is currently incarcerated or on probation or parole (Mumloa, 2006). These children are disproportionately minority and poor (Glaze and Muruschak, 2008). Bruce Western and Christopher Wildeman (2009) estimate that amon

Research reveals that many prisoners return home in need of help to reintegrate into their community and into their families. They lack the proper means to reconnect with family members, acquire housing and jobs, and overcome substance abuse and other health problems. Even worse, ex-offenders are increasingly returning to neighborhoods that are pl

The next section provides an overview of the relevant research on the key human services and health needs of incarcerated and reentering individuals and their families along with illustrative examples from the inventory of current HHS activities addressing these issues.

Over 7.3 million people are on probation, in jail, in prison, or on parole in the United States ( PEW Center on the States, 2009). Incarceration and reentry adversely impact a number of areas in which the Department of Health and Human Services is heavily invested, such as family formation, parent-child relationships, economic self-sufficiency, an