The “Locked Up and Locked Out Neighbors: The Battle for Health Equity for Incarcerated People in Illinois ” event is the 5th installment of the Criminalization of Our Neighbors Programming Series. The event is comprised of multiple panel discussions on the current state of health, mental and spiritual care in Illinois correctional facilities and transitional support for our formerly incarcerated community members. Panels will feature human rights advocates from the legal community, health and medical professionals with experience providing care within correctional facilities, and advocacy organizations who work with formerly incarcerated people to help them transition back into society. We will also hear the challenges incarcerated people face in accessing adequate physical and mental health care through the lens of someone who was formerly incarcerated.
The goal of this event is to bring awareness to how the dehumanization and social deprivation caused by correctional institutions and operations can induce new or exacerbate existing mental and physical health conditions for people housed in their facilities. Due to health inequity, correctional institutions have become a major custodian of our population suffering from mental illness. Mass incarceration and health inequity are not just severe social injustices in the U.S., but ones that are very prevalent in Chicago and the state of Illinois. Furthermore, these issues disproportionately affect Black and Latinx communities. Our hope is to spark conversations amongst the community about how we can help with advocacy efforts to improve access to care and improve facility conditions, while further exploring alternatives to incarceration—including favoring inclusion models over isolation models.
This program is facilitated through the partnerships of the DePaul University Library, Vincent G. Rinn Law Library, the Center for Public Interest Law, the Jaharis Health Law Institute and the Journal of Social Justice. Special thanks to our external partners: St. Leonard Ministries, Uptown Peoples Law Center, Equip for Equality, Bluhm Legal Clinic at MacArthur Justice Center, Social Relations Lab at Columbia University, the John Howard Association, Morris Hospital, and the Rush Community Health Center. CLE credit is available for eligible attendees.
Attendance is free and open to the general public.