Correctional Health Resources

In matters of correctional health, state, local, and territorial health departments typically have jurisdiction and provide public health guidance to correctional facilities (local, state, federal, and private) within their health district. Administering correctional health is complex and involves the cooperation of medical professionals, correctional facilities and staff, public health agencies, families, communities, advocates for persons who are incarcerated, and other state and federal partners.

There are many professional organizations, federal agencies, and international organizations dedicated to improving health outcomes for persons who are incarcerated. Use the resources below to get more information about some of these organizations, national statistics, policy guidance, and best practices related to correctional health.

State and Federal Organizations

• State & Territorial Health Departments
  • Links to the websites of health departments in all 50 states, 5 territories, 3 freely associated states, and the District of Columbia which can be used to find health department contact information for your jurisdiction
• Federal Bureau of Prisons – Female Offenders
  • Resources and information about women who are incarcerated in the U.S. Bureau of Prisons
• National Criminal Justice Reference Service
  • Funding opportunities, recent publications, online resources, and upcoming events from the U.S. Department of Justice
• National Institute of Corrections
  • Information about cooperative agreements, training, and events for line staff, administration, and researchers in tribal, local, state, and federal corrections agencies
• National Institute of Justice
  • Articles, awards, publications, and multimedia events related to corrections
• National Institute on Drug Abuse – Criminal Justice
  • Articles, research topics, training opportunities, and clinical resources related to substance use disorder and incarceration
• Office of Justice Programs Bureau of Justice Assistance
  • What the U.S. Bureau of Justice Assistance is doing to reduce violent crime, create safer communities, and reform our Nation’s criminal justice system
• Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention
  • Describes priorities for OJJDP, including serving children in their communities and a 2022 national report for Youth and the Juvenile Justice System
• Office of National Drug Control Policy
  • Learn more about our Nation’s drug control policy
• Office of The Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation: Incarceration and Reentry
  • Reentry information including reports on incarceration and reentry from ASPE
• Office of Tribal Justice
  • DOJ responses to requests from Tribal leaders for Indian country-specific legal and policy matters
• SAMHSA GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation
  • Information about how Gather, Assess, Integrate, Network, and Stimulate (GAINS) works to expand access to services for people with mental or substance use disorders who come into contact with the adult criminal justice system
• Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) – Correctional and Juvenile Justice
  • Resources and information about people who are incarcerated and have mental and substance use disorders
• Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Health Services Corps
  • Information about ICE Health Services Corps that provides health care services to detained individuals involved in immigration proceedings

Accreditation, Academic and Professional Organizations

• Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health
  • Conference information, industry news; ACCJH advances health research, training and care for justice involved populations
• Academy of Correctional Health Professionals
  • A professional organization that provides educational and professional development tools to health care professionals working in the field of correctional health care
• American College of Correctional Physicians
  • Educational opportunities and conferences for correctional physicians
• American Correctional Association – Correctional Health Care
  • Information on Health Care Accreditation, Health Certifications, and resources including clinical guidelines, conferences, and articles
• American Jail Association
  • Resources for jail professionals to enhance public safety through online and inhouse trainings, webinars, and workshops
• American Probation and Parole Association
  • Training opportunities and resources for probation and parole officers
• Center for Health and Justice Transformation
  • How Rhode Island is working on Decriminalization, Criminal Justice Planning, and Reentry
• Health Through Walls
  • What is being done with prisons in low-resource countries to prevent, identify, and treat infectious diseases, particularly HIV, AIDS, tuberculosis, Hepatitis C and COVID-19
• International Corrections and Prisons Association
  • Resources for corrections professionals, including conferences, by a Global Corrections Community for professionals across the globe
• National Commission on Correctional Health Care, Inc
  • How NCCHC can support and improve the quality of health care in jails, prisons, and juvenile facilities
• National Sheriffs’ Association
  • Educational opportunities and conferences for sheriffs, their deputies, chiefs of police, and others in the field of criminal justice
• Prison Policy Initiative
  • Multiple publications, data in various formats, including numbers of incarcerated people in each state as of 2020 from each county, city, and ZIP code
• United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime
  • Press releases and publications about human trafficking, women in justice, and COVID-19 response policy documents and research briefs
• World Health Organization Prisons and Health EURO
  • Information on networking opportunities and how to ensure prevention and control of COVID-19 in prisons and other places of detention