SJC Exchange Library

Hi everyone,

Recent research out of Minnesota from the state's Electronic Health Record Consortium has provided one of the clearest views to date of health needs among recently incarcerated people, as well as unhoused people. In a briefing released late last week, we put some context around this research.

The Minnesota study reveals higher rates of mental illnesses and substance use disorders across the board among recently-released people, as well as disproportionate rates of certain respiratory illnesses (which account for a large share of deaths in prisons) and heart conditions. Our briefing offers data visualizations and tables breaking down these findings by race.

We also spotlight the research's findings about unhoused people, who suffer at outsized rates from nearly every illness the researchers looked at, even compared to recently incarcerated people.

Lastly - in case you missed it - the Prison Policy Initiative published a list of highlights from our work in 2025, including our work on ICE arrests in jails, our "Trump Tracker" showing how the president is making the criminal legal system worse, and our two-part report on parole.

Thanks for reading, and happy holidays,

Wanda

Prison Policy Initiative