Reference no: EM133938225

Assignment:

Each scenario describes a scenario that displays the intersection between our carceral system and health.

For the first scenario:

A steel mill closes in a small town, and the unemployment rate rises to 40%. As a result, there are increased reports of robberies in the area. To address the increase in crime, the local city government decides to increase the number of police officers who patrol the area. A police officer stops a teenager in what he calls a "routine stop and frisk". The 16 year-old woman is found to be carrying a knife which she says is for her protection. Town ordinances make carrying a weapon illegal, and the teenager is charged in juvenile justice court with possession of a deadly weapon. After being charged, she loses her job at a local convenience store and is unable to help support her family.

1. What are the social and structural risk factors that contributed to engagement with the police/the carceral system? Think about what we've learned in this class with regards to Social Determinants.

2. Identify what you think the health consequences are in the case study for anyone mentioned in the study.

3. What is one alternative to incarceration that would have addressed the alleged crime in a trauma-informed and humanizing manner?
for the second scenario:

A 30 year-old woman just gave birth to her second child via a C-section, three months after her husband passed away from a car accident. Her job doesn't offer medical benefits, and she wasn't able to receive care while she was pregnant. She also hasn't received any follow-up care since she was discharged from the hospital. She's doing her best to take care of her children, but her family notices that she is sad often, cries a lot, and is increasingly irritable. She also feels guilty for still mourning her husband's death and for not feeling happier about the birth of her baby. The only thing that makes her feel better are taking the prescription painkillers she was given at the hospital after her C-section. However, when she runs out of the prescription, she begins to buy painkillers from people dealing drugs in her local neighborhood. One time, she buys drugs from an undercover police officer and is arrested and charged with solicitation of a controlled substance. A child protective services case is also opened to determine her ability to care for her children.

1. What are the social and structural risk factors that contributed to engagement with the police/the carceral system? Think about what we've learned in this class with regards to Social Determinants.

2. Identify what you think the health consequences are in the case study for anyone mentioned in the study.

3. What is one alternative to incarceration that would have addressed the alleged crime in a trauma-informed and humanizing manner?

References:

1. Slavery to Mass Incarceration [video ~ 6 min],

2. Mass Incarceration, Visualized [video ~ 3 min],

3. California Incarceration Statistics from the Prison Policy Initiative [website],

4. Why You Should Know What Happened in Freddie Gray's Life - Long Before His Death [article]

5. OPTIONAL: Mass Incarceration, Public Health, and Widening Inequality [journal article]

6. Guest Speaker: Andrew Sudler, MPH, MD(c) on Mass Incarceration [video recording ~ 90 min]