About this talk
After years of investigating injuries in the NYC jails, Prisoner Health Warrior Homer Venters determined that a new injury surveillance system is required in order to adequately report injuries among patients in jail settings. This led Homer to uncover how the jail setting itself could pose health risks to patients. Homer discovered two specific and deadly health risks of jail: “jail attributable death” and “dual loyalty”. Homer and his team began training health staff in jails and prisons on these concepts. With Homer’s help, the Justice Department launched a formal investigation into brutality behind bars, making way for transparency about data reporting in jails and prisons.
To learn about approaches that would make a tremendous difference in closing the “unconscionable divide” between community health and correctional health, watch Homer’s 2020 TEDMED Talk “Exposing the deadly health risks of incarceration”.
About Homer Venters
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Dr. Homer Venters is a physician and a nationally recognized expert in health and justice, who focuses on the health of people in prisons and jails. He currently serves as the Senior Health and Justice Fellow for Community-Oriented Correctional Health Services (COCHS). In this role, he works to improve healthcare within the correctional system, with a special focus on critical issues like implementing medication-assisted treatment (MAT) for addiction, documenting injuries and deaths, and reducing traumatic brain injuries. Homer supports the collaboration of health systems and the justice system to improve outcomes. He is the author of the widely praised book, Life and Death in Rikers Island, which draws on his experience as the former Chief Medical Officer of the New York City jail system. In addition to his practical work, Homer is a Clinical Associate Professor at New York University, College of Global Public Health. He has published numerous scientific articles on health and justice, and the breadth of his research has influenced discussions in Congress. His career is dedicated to ensuring that incarcerated individuals receive humane and effective medical care.
