skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Thursday, March 13, 2025

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

EPA head says he'll roll back dozens of environmental regulations, including rules on climate change; Environmental groups sue over permit for West Virginia valley fills; Doubling down on care: Ohio's push for caregiver tax relief; Uncertain future of Y-12 complex under Trump administration threatens jobs, economy.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Senate Democrats refuse to support GOP budget bill. The EU and Canada respond to steel and aluminum tariffs and some groups work to counter Christian Nationalism, which they call a threat to democracy.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Farmers worry promised federal reimbursements aren't coming while fears mount that the Trump administration's efforts to raise cash means the sale of public lands, and rural America's shortage of doctors has many physicians skipping retirement.

Higher cancer rates among IL's incarcerated population

play audio
Play

Wednesday, October 9, 2024   

Two specific types of cancer are showing up in high numbers among people in jail and prison and Illinois is no exception.

A new study found a lack of resources for on-site treatment is one reason for the high rates. The data showed diagnoses and mortality numbers for liver and lung cancer are more prevalent among county jails and state prisons.

Dr. Jingxuan Zhao, senior scientist for the American Cancer Society and lead author of the study, said individuals may need to be transferred to outside facilities to receive cancer treatment, which is often denied or delayed, and people with cancer and those behind bars share some characteristics or risk factors.

"For example, some of the risk factors for developing liver cancer included hepatitis B and C," Zhao pointed out. "As we know that for lung cancer, smoking is a huge risk factor and those factors are also very common among people who are currently incarcerated or with incarceration history."

She added studies have shown people who have been incarcerated are actually more likely to receive breast and colorectal cancer screenings, compared to their counterparts. The Prison Policy Initiative estimates about 28,000 people are in Illinois state prisons, with another 17,000 in local jails.

The study examined the association of county jail and state prison incarceration rates and cancer mortality rates in the U.S., using data taken from nearly 3,100 counties and every state. Zhao noted researching incarceration and cancer care comes with some built-in challenges.

"There are several reasons, such as privacy and ethical concerns, also legal protection of incarceration data, and more importantly, the decentralization of the U.S. correctional system," Zhao outlined. "There are some ongoing efforts to link state cancer registry data and the state correctional facility data, but that's only among some single states."

Zhao added there is no multistate linkage for data, which is an important part for their research. The study stated the U.S. has one of the highest incarceration rates in the world. In one recent year, there were 350 people in prison and another 192 in jail per 100,000 population.


get more stories like this via email

more stories
"In Utah, we've been consistently told that transitioning away from coal would devastate our rural communities, but this report reveals a different reality," said Luis Miranda, Utah-based Campaign Organizer for the Sierra Club. (Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

The Sierra Club's Utah chapter said electric utility PacifiCorp's long-term plan to embrace renewable energy has changed and is now placing more relia…


Social Issues

play sound

New data show fewer than half of rural Gen Z'ers believe they can find a good job in their community, compared to nearly 70% of their urban peers…

Environment

play sound

As federal funding for climate initiatives faces steep cuts, nonprofits and philanthropic organizations are stepping into the breach, calling out the …


The U.S. solar industry employs more than 263,000 workers, with jobs in installation, manufacturing, and research continuing to grow. (rh2010/Adobe Stock)

Environment

play sound

Michigan ranks 26th in the U.S. for total installed solar capacity, while global capacity rose 21% from 2023. However, there are industry concerns …

Social Issues

play sound

School employees are expressing outrage at the mass layoffs of half the U.S. Department of Education workforce. Secretary of Education Linda …

Social Issues

play sound

Republicans in Washington, D.C. remain focused on greatly reducing federal spending. However, a backlash is mounting in Congressional districts…

Social Issues

play sound

Maryland ranks second in the nation for charging children who have committed crimes as adults. But one expert says a more trauma-informed response in …

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021