Sesame Street inspires physicians to advocate for criminal justice reform

According to an article published in Annals of Internal Medicine, physicians are getting a wake-up call about the effects of mass incarceration from an unexpected place: Sesame Street.

The authors of “Sesame Street Goes to Jail: Physicians Should Follow” were inspired by Sesame Street's “Little Children, Big Challenges: Incarceration” initiative. The program features a Muppet named Alex whose father is in jail, and it provides an online toolkit to help caregivers guide children through the challenges associated with the incarceration of a loved one. This is important, said the authors of the article, because incarceration plays a role in health and health disparities not only for the person incarcerated but also for his or her families.

According to the article, a majority of those serving time are incarcerated due to behaviors attributable to treatable diseases such as mental illness and addiction. The authors suggested policy changes that would allow doctors to steer eligible defendants into treatment programs rather than correctional facilities, when appropriate. They said that physicians also should be aware of social issues such as education, housing, race, and poverty, which can adversely affect health. These same issues also increase the risk of incarceration.