The Declining Health of Prisoners: Pains of Long-Term Incarceration vs. The Natural Aging Process

Based on the literature from my research and theory, the hypothesized relationships in this study were that those who are incarcerated long-term will experience more health related issues while in prison than those who are incarcerated short-term. These health-related issues included sexually transmitted diseases, heart problems, and mental health problems. Data were collected using the 2004 Survey of Inmates in State and Federal Correction Facilities. The study focused specifically on state correctional facilities and included 7,988 male and female prisoners. The results fail to support any of the three hypothesized relationships but a relationship between age and incarceration was found