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#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...

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“People Want Safety, They Want Accountability, and They Want Justice.”

Vera’s Chief Advocacy Officer, Ellen Flenniken, explains why being serious about public safety requires moving beyond failed “tough-on-crime” policies.

Public safety is rarely measured by crime statistics alone: it is defined by how people actually feel about their communities and the country as a whole. To address public concerns effectively, we must first understand how perceptions—and misperceptions—of crime are formed. Vera’s Chief Advocacy Officer Ellen Flenniken and Senior Writer Alex Pareen ...

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September 24, 2026
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