Health Status of the New York City Prison Population

During a two-week period in June 1975, all 1,420 prisoners admitted to New York City Correctional Facilities were studied to determine the prevalence of current and past health conditions. Information was obtained from a standard admission health examination. Almost three-quarters of the male and female prisoners were 30 years or less. Of the study population, 57 per cent were black, 24 per cent were Hispanic and 17 per cent were white. Forty-one per cent reported a history of illicit drug use. More than one-quarter of the prisoners reported a present illness and three-fifths received at least one diagnosis. Commonly diagnosed conditions included drug abuse, psychiatric disorder, trauma, and alcohol abuse. Seven per cent of male prisoners had a previous psychiatric hospitalization. On examination, new trauma was noted in 10 per cent of the male population. In addition to these findings, a history of seizure disorder was reported in 4 per cent of the male population. Health services within prisons must be able to manage the most pressing problems in this population-substance abuse and psychiatric disorder and provide care for the range of conditions that is similar to that found in the general population for this age group.