Seth J. Prins is an assistant professor of epidemiology and sociomedical sciences at Columbia University. He studies the collateral consequences of mass incarceration for public health, and how the division and structure of labor influence depression, anxiety, and substance use.
We always knew mental illness was exacerbated by the stress of economic hardship. But new research confirms that the more a boss is exploiting a worker, the worse it is for that worker's mental health.
To save the planet, a Green New Deal has to transform our entire society. Part of that transformation must include the deconstruction of our system of mass incarceration.