Speakers
Parallel Workshops
In the United States, the criminal legal system has increased dramatically and is highly unequal. Following release from incarceration, individuals experience rapidly worsening health. One potential explanation for the health consequences of incarceration is stigma, yet little is known about the context and salience of incarceration history disclosure in health service seeking and how the associated stigma of incarceration shapes health service delivery. We conducted interviews with health service providers who had ever treated a patient with a history of incarceration for a sexual or reproductive health concern (n=12) and individuals with a history of incarceration about their experiences seeking and receiving sexual and reproductive care (n=43) and analyzed the transcripts using a general inductive approach. We find that incarceration history disclosures are common and happen indirectly (e.g., appeared in the patient’s chart or the patient was transferred from a correctional facility), or through direct patient disclosure. Patients emphasized that many of their health concerns stemmed from their experiences of incarceration and that they often disclosed their incarceration history despite negative repercussions (such as shorter interactions and less provider concern for their wishes in their care) as they felt the context was necessary for proper treatment. Other times, patients described concealing their history to avoid the negative repercussions when less relevant to treatment or following negative experiences. We find that the stigma of incarceration history in micro-level interactions with health service providers undermines health and reifies social isolation and marginalization for patients with a history of incarceration.