Health Across the Life Course:
The 19th Annual Meeting of ACCJH
The 2026 Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health (ACCJH) Annual Meeting theme, was Health Across the Life Course, which explored how carceral exposure shapes health from adolescence through aging. The 19th Annual Meeting was hosted in partnership with Morehouse School of Medicine at the Calvin Smyre Conference Center in Atlanta, Georgia, March 16–18, 2026, marking an important collaboration that underscores ACCJH’s commitment to academic partnership and shaping the national research agenda on criminal legal system health.
Host City | Atlanta, Georgia
Atlanta is a city known for its rich history, cultural vibrancy, and deep influence on movements for health, equity, and justice. As home to many of the nation's most prominent HBCUs, Atlanta offers a powerful backdrop for this conference. From the Morehouse School of Medicine campus, visitors are minutes from Centennial Olympic Park, the Georgia Aquarium, the National Center for Civil and Human Rights, and more
Atlanta is served by Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL), approximately ten miles south of downtown and about fifteen minutes from Morehouse School of Medicine by car. MARTA provides train service from the airport to downtown and Midtown.
Conference Schedule
The meeting opened with a keynote address by Dr. Sarah Vinson, Chair of Psychiatry at Morehouse School of Medicine. In the evening, members attended a documentary screening of Held and Healing followed by a discussion with panelists Kristie Puckett, Averll Stokes, Camille Kramer, Natalie Hernandez, & Drew Umberger.
Day two featured a plenary session on compassionate release, end-of-life care, and palliative approaches within correctional settings. The evening concluded with the ACCJH Scholarship Reception, celebrating student, early-career, advocates, and lived-experience awardees.
The final day offered sessions and roundtable discussions, concluding with a networking lunch to connect, reflect, and identify next steps for advancing health equity and justice.
ACCJH 19th Annual Meeting, Day 3 Community Session, "From advisory to infrastructure: Embedding lived expertise into research and practice INTERACT CAB and Transitions Clinic Network