Shared Problems

Several pieces in the November-December 2023 issue of the Hastings Center Report contribute to developing an expansive vision of bioethics. In the lead article, Sean Valles calls on the field to work against the problem of mass incarceration in the United States not only by addressing “what happens to people once they are inside prisons” but also with respect to the “ripple effects” the system has on health and well-being in surrounding communities. Commentaries by Homer Venters and Jennifer Elyse James underscore and extend Valles's recommendations. In an essay, Jalayne Arias and colleagues propose a research agenda to shape a better response to the care needs of older incarcerated people. And in two other essays, Lawrence Gostin and colleagues call for strengthening the International Health Regulations, which are legally binding on World Health Organization member states, and Andrew Schroeder argues that a nation's public health policy should be responsive to the public's values as deliberated upon by the public itself.