Approximately 1.3 to 1.8 million people are incarcerated in the United States at any given time. When providing emergency or elective surgical intervention, perioperative nurses may encounter incarcerated individuals, including many who require treatment for traumatic injury. Nurses, therefore, need to educate themselves about this patient population and understand the specific clinical and educational needs of this group. This article explores key concepts involved in caring for incarcerated individuals, including their characteristics and assumptions others make about them. The article concludes with a discussion of educational and policy implications.