New Northwestern study explores how incarceration impacts health, risk for dementia
Linda Teplin, director of the Northwestern Juvenile Project, is leading a new study on how incarceration can affect health and aging, including the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
April 12, 2022, 5:30 PM CDT
Linda Teplin, the director of the Northwestern Juvenile Project, is leading a new study on how incarceration can affect health and aging, including the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias. The study, funded by a $20 million grant from the National Institutes of Health, will investigate how the conditions of prison can worsen someone’s health and increase their risk for dementia.
Studying the “dose” of incarceration
Teplin explained that studying the “dose” of incarceration means investigating the length and frequency of someone’s incarceration, their age, type of detention center, and how recently they were imprisoned.
“When you study anything in epidemiology as a risk factor for disease, you look not just at, ‘Yes or no, does the person have that risk factor?’ But you look at the dose of that risk factor,” Teplin said.
Fighting for his brother’s release
Mike Merritt’s brother, Philip, was 16 years into a long sentence at the Western Illinois Correctional Center in Mount Sterling when he began showing signs of cognitive decline. At first, he had trouble putting together sentences and understanding what others were saying. Later, he could only grunt in response.
Mike Merritt, Philip’s brother, was convinced that his brother’s incarceration was a major factor in his developing dementia. “Prison was the cause of my brother’s Alzheimer’s, I have no doubt about that,” he said.
The Illinois Prison Project
The Illinois Prison Project, a non-profit organization, is working to help people with dementia in prison and has helped nine people with dementia successfully petition for early release under the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act.
“A lot of people currently incarcerated with dementia are simply undiagnosed just because of abject medical neglect,” said Maria Burnett, an attorney with the Illinois Prison Project. “All prisons are highly punitive environments, but for those with dementia, it’s impossible to obey the rules because they cognitively can’t understand what’s happening, which can lead to further unwarranted punishment.”
Conclusion
The study by Northwestern University aims to shed light on the often-overlooked issue of how incarceration can impact health and the risk for dementia. By investigating the “dose” of incarceration and its effects on health, researchers hope to find ways to reduce the harm caused by imprisonment and improve the lives of those affected by dementia.
FAQs
- What is the focus of the Northwestern University study?
- What is the “dose” of incarceration?
- How has the Illinois Prison Project helped people with dementia?
- What is the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act?
The study is investigating how incarceration can affect health and aging, including the risk for Alzheimer’s disease and other dementias.
Teplin explained that studying the “dose” of incarceration means investigating the length and frequency of someone’s incarceration, their age, type of detention center, and how recently they were imprisoned.
The organization has helped nine people with dementia successfully petition for early release under the Joe Coleman Medical Release Act.
The act allows incarcerated people who are deemed “medically incapacitated” or terminally ill to petition for early release from the Prison Review Board.
