HealthierU | Barred from Care: The Prison Medical Crisis

In this episode, we delve into how inadequate medical care in correctional facilities exacerbates mental and physical health issues and creates lasting burdens on those inside and outside of the system. How can we call a system “just” when it fails to prioritize health and rehabilitation, forcing incarcerated individuals into a daily struggle for survival that erodes their sense of security and hope? We hear from Tanika Nicholas, who was once incarcerated at Pulaski State Prison and is now a Justice Reform Partnership Strategist at the Southern Center for Human Rights, as well as Marisol Dominguez-Ruiz, a Justice Catalyst Fellow at the ACLU's National Prison Project who advocates for ending solitary confinement for incarcerated people with disabilities.

This episode was reported and produced by Aavni Deval, a junior at Emory University majoring in political science and minoring in business, with a strong passion for exploring the intersection of health injustices and policy reform. She is dedicated to addressing systemic inequalities in healthcare through innovative solutions and seeks to develop strategies that improve access to quality care and advocate for equitable health policies, particularly for marginalized populations. 

Reports and litigation mentioned in episode:

• United States Department of Justice Report
• 2021 Bureau of Justice Statistics Report
• Pennsylvania Department of Corrections v. Yeskey
• Read more about Dr. Yvon Nazaire (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
• GDC Response to DOJ Report

Additional resources:

• ACLU National Prison Project
• Southern Center for Human Rights

About HealthierU:

Produced and hosted by students at Emory University’s Center for the Study of Human Health, HealthierU is a podcast that aims to make sense of the science behind human health. This season, we’re diving into our generation’s burning health questions. Questions like: Is it bad to use the internet to diagnose yourself? Why do so many athletes get eating disorders, and why are they so hard to spot? Is sugar really so dangerous? To find the answers, we’re talking to scientists, nutritionists, counselors, medical profe

About Emory University's Center for the Study of Human Health:

The Emory Center for the Study of Human Health was developed to expand health knowledge and translate this knowledge to all aspects of life – for the individual and populations as a whole. The Center assembles the extraordinary faculty, researchers and thought leaders from across disciplines, departments, schools and institutions to bring this knowledge to Emory University students and inspire them to become leaders for the next generation in meeting challenges facing human health.

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