Health experts and government agencies have flagged the potential dangers of dietary supplements, some of which promise energy, weight loss, increased muscle mass or improved sexual performance. Although such products often are promoted as “herbal” or “natural,” they can contain synthetic ingredients and toxic chemicals not listed on their labels.

In some states, 20 to 30 percent of working-age adults have a physical, emotional or cognitive disability, according to a new study that looks at disability rates among age groups by state.

According to some estimates, as much as 50% of the U.S. prison population suffers from some form of mental illness. As a consequence, each year thousands of mentally ill offenders are sent to prisons that — because of overcrowding and limited resources — are poorly equipped to treat them. They are placed in solitary confinement, subjected to punishments inappropriate for their conditions and end up serving longer sentences than the general inmate population.

From the Scholars Strategy Network, written by Jeffrey Clemens, University of California, San Diego