The health of people ever incarcerated in New York City (NYC) jails during 2001 to 2005 was characterized by matching jail, shelter, mortality, sexually transmitted infection, HIV, and tuberculosis (TB) data from the NYC Departments of Health and Mental Hygiene, Correction, and Homeless Services. Compared with nonincarcerated people and those living in the lowest income NYC neighborhoods, those ever incarcerated had higher HIV prevalence and HIV case rates. Ever-incarcerated females also had higher rates of gonorrhea and syphilis than nonincarcerated females. Ever-incarcerated people who used the single adult homeless shelter system had higher HIV, gonorrhea, and TB case rates and all-cause mortality rates than ever-incarcerated people without shelter use, when adjusting for other variables. People ever incarcerated in NYC jails are at risk for conditions of public health importance. Sex-specific jail- and community-based interventions are needed.
Keywords: HIV; homeless people; jail; mortality; sexually transmitted infection; tuberculosis.