Posters
Presenting Author Academic/Professional Position
Medical Student
Academic Level (Author 1)
Medical Student
Academic Level (Author 2)
Medical Student
Academic Level (Author 3)
Medical Student
Academic Level (Author 4)
Medical Student
Academic Level (Author 5)
Medical Student
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Poster
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Community/Public Health
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Research/Clinical
Abstract
Introduction: In 2024, the United States has the highest incarceration rate of any independent democracy. Texas has a higher incarceration rate than the US national average, with an incarceration rate of 751 people imprisoned per 100,000 citizens. Additionally, Texas prisons have become severely overcrowded; in June 2024, 41% of inmates had to be housed outside their county. Overcrowding has exacerbated the lack of adequate medical care for prisoners, and prisons’ hostile and ultimately unsafe environment. Despite the health risks, little research has been done on the utilization of emergency room visits by incarcerated individuals. This study aims to analyze emergency department (ED) data for patients admitted from prisons in Texas to shed more insight into and improve the current health conditions of those incarcerated.
Methods: A retrospective statistical analysis was done on a sample of 1272 incarcerated patients who were admitted in 2021 to a Texas Emergency Department for trauma related causes. Patients were than analyzed for demographics, co-morbidities, AIS code, and injury diagnosis based on the collected data.
Results: In terms of patient demographics, 81% were male and 19% were female, with an average age of 40 years old. The majority of patients were White (60.2 %), and the second highest racial demographic was Black/African American (30.9%). Smoking was the most common co-morbidity of those patients with a listed co-morbidity. The leading cause of injury was assault by unarmed fight with the most frequent injury diagnosis as contusion of scalp; these results were consistent with the most common AIS code: hematoma. Upon admission to the hospital, the average systolic blood pressure was 137 mmHg and heart rate was 83 bpm.
Discussion: The history and context of the US carceral system shows that prisons are punitive, dehumanizing, and violent environments. Institutional prison factors such as overcrowding have been shown to have a significant correlation with prison violence. This is reflected in our study, with assault being the most significant cause of trauma ED visits among the Texas incarcerated population. The patients in our study were mainly males, with an average age of 40. This is consistent with current research; one study found that among incarcerated adults, men under 65 years had the highest proportion of assault-related ED visits. The most common co-morbidity in our analysis was smoking; there were many other co-morbidities cited such as mental health disorders, hypertension and substance use disorder. There have been many studies that find substance use and mental illness are overrepresented in and disproportionally affect US prisons. Finally, the most common injury diagnosis and AIS code were contusion of scalp and hematoma. These brain injuries can have long-lasting health impacts, such as further injury, intracranial infection and cognitive impairment. Our study's findings necessitate further exploration into legal changes, such as decriminalization, to improve prison conditions in Texas, like overcrowding. These systemic measures could create an environment that decreases prison assault cases and thus, potentially minimize the amount of ED visits among those incarcerated.
Recommended Citation
Bhatia, Sonya A.; Duddu, Sowmya; Argenal, Andrea; Paz, Julia; Sayers, Tori; Gadad, Bharathi Shrikanth; and Baker, Kelsey, "Emergency Room Visits of Incarcerated Individuals in Texas: A Retrospective Analysis of Trauma-Related Admissions and Health Implications" (2025). Research Symposium. 152.
https://scholarworks.utrgv.edu/somrs/2025/posters/152
Included in
Emergency Room Visits of Incarcerated Individuals in Texas: A Retrospective Analysis of Trauma-Related Admissions and Health Implications
Introduction: In 2024, the United States has the highest incarceration rate of any independent democracy. Texas has a higher incarceration rate than the US national average, with an incarceration rate of 751 people imprisoned per 100,000 citizens. Additionally, Texas prisons have become severely overcrowded; in June 2024, 41% of inmates had to be housed outside their county. Overcrowding has exacerbated the lack of adequate medical care for prisoners, and prisons’ hostile and ultimately unsafe environment. Despite the health risks, little research has been done on the utilization of emergency room visits by incarcerated individuals. This study aims to analyze emergency department (ED) data for patients admitted from prisons in Texas to shed more insight into and improve the current health conditions of those incarcerated.
Methods: A retrospective statistical analysis was done on a sample of 1272 incarcerated patients who were admitted in 2021 to a Texas Emergency Department for trauma related causes. Patients were than analyzed for demographics, co-morbidities, AIS code, and injury diagnosis based on the collected data.
Results: In terms of patient demographics, 81% were male and 19% were female, with an average age of 40 years old. The majority of patients were White (60.2 %), and the second highest racial demographic was Black/African American (30.9%). Smoking was the most common co-morbidity of those patients with a listed co-morbidity. The leading cause of injury was assault by unarmed fight with the most frequent injury diagnosis as contusion of scalp; these results were consistent with the most common AIS code: hematoma. Upon admission to the hospital, the average systolic blood pressure was 137 mmHg and heart rate was 83 bpm.
Discussion: The history and context of the US carceral system shows that prisons are punitive, dehumanizing, and violent environments. Institutional prison factors such as overcrowding have been shown to have a significant correlation with prison violence. This is reflected in our study, with assault being the most significant cause of trauma ED visits among the Texas incarcerated population. The patients in our study were mainly males, with an average age of 40. This is consistent with current research; one study found that among incarcerated adults, men under 65 years had the highest proportion of assault-related ED visits. The most common co-morbidity in our analysis was smoking; there were many other co-morbidities cited such as mental health disorders, hypertension and substance use disorder. There have been many studies that find substance use and mental illness are overrepresented in and disproportionally affect US prisons. Finally, the most common injury diagnosis and AIS code were contusion of scalp and hematoma. These brain injuries can have long-lasting health impacts, such as further injury, intracranial infection and cognitive impairment. Our study's findings necessitate further exploration into legal changes, such as decriminalization, to improve prison conditions in Texas, like overcrowding. These systemic measures could create an environment that decreases prison assault cases and thus, potentially minimize the amount of ED visits among those incarcerated.
