Video

#sayhername The Health Consequences of Mass Imprisonment for (Black) Women

Prof. Hedy Lee discusses how mass incarceration affects the health and wellbeing of the predominantly poor and minority women who routinely deal with the absence of their husbands, fathers, and brothers.

Poor and minority women, particularly African American women, face markedly higher rates of chronic diseases, such as obesity and diabetes, and poor mental health compared to other demographic groups. Mass imprisonment could be an important pathway for explaining the causes and persistence of health inequalities among American women.

Prof. Lee visited the Vera Institute as part of the Neil A. Weiner Research Speaker Series, learn more here: https://www.vera.org/events/ne...

Related

Ten Ways Trump Is Making Us Less Safe

From public health to disaster response, the administration is weakening the systems that keep Americans safe.

“Safety will be restored,” Donald Trump declared from the Republican National Convention floor a decade ago. “The most basic duty of government is to defend the lives of its own citizens,” he said, promising to do so if elected president. “Keeping America Safe” has been a consistent Trump message ever since. It generally refers to violent crime, wh ...

News
June 16, 2026
News

Maryland Takes Significant Step Toward Fair Housing for People Returning from Incarceration

Maryland’s newly passed Fair Chance Housing Act expands access to safe, stable housing for people with conviction histories and advances public safety.

Marquis Howard recalls sweating over every word he wrote in the box on the housing application that asked about his criminal conviction. Even though he had gone back to school, earned degrees, and held a good job, he reasonably feared his application would be rejected due to a decades-old conviction. “I was so stressed,” said Howard, a senior organ ...

News
June 04, 2026
News