Book review: <i>Life and Death on Rikers Island</i> by Homer Venters.

<p dir="ltr">In Life and Death in Rikers Island, Homer Venters, the former chief medical officer for New York City’s jails, performs a social autopsy of the “inaccessible island colony of nine jails on Rikers Island” and reveals the “deadly and long-lasting health risks of jail” (p. ix). Three decades of mass incarceration in the United States coincide with a significant lack of support for community mental health treatment, deinstitutionalization, and the rise of punitive approaches to substance use and mental health challenges. The emphasis on punishment, rather than treatment, care, and support, has disproportionately impacted low-income communities of color. In administering correctional health services, Venters has “come to believe that accounting for the health risks of the jail system is one of our core responsibilities.” Venters’ unique positionality as a practicing physician and self-described health bureaucrat offers rare access into jails that serve as sites of care as well as violence and trauma.</p>