Community Reentry: Perceptions of People with Substance Use Problems Returning Home from New York City Jails

Abstract

Each year about 100,000 people return to New York City communities from municipal jails. Although about four-fifths report drug or alcohol problems, few have received any formal drug treatment while in jail. Researchers and practitioners have identified a number of policies related to corrections, income, housing, and drug treatment that may be harmful to the successful reintegration of people leaving jail. In order to explore the challenges to successful community reentry, six focus groups and one in-depth interview were conducted with 37 men and women who had been released from jail or prison in the last 12 months. Participants were asked to describe their experiences prior to and immediately following release from jail. Findings suggest that many people leaving jail are not prepared for release and, upon release, face a myriad of obstacles to becoming healthy, productive members of their communities. We discuss the implications of these findings for programs and policies that promote community reintegration of individuals returning from correctional facilities.

Incarceration and Sexually Transmitted Infections: A Neighborhood Perspective

“…Ex-offenders who used drugs before or during incarceration face strong temptations to return to drug use, caused in part by addiction and having little else do as jobs are harder to obtain with a prison record. 25 This study in one county of NC has strengthened arguments for a connection between incarceration and STIs that was first inferred from county-level comparisons in NC. The magnitudes of the effects at the census-tract-level were consistent with those seen at the county-level.…”

From Corrections to Communities as an HIV Priority

“…[64][65][66][67][68] In a qualitative study with a population recently released from jail in this issue of the Journal of Urban Health, participants noted financial, structural and social barriers that could contribute to relapse to high risk behavior. 69 This study, along with another in this issue of the Journal, 70 suggest that though individuals re-entering the community face barriers to successful reintegration, these populations have interest in opportunities that could help them transition, from job training and education to drug treatment programs.…”

Looking Out from the Inside: Incarcerated Women's Perceived Barriers to Treatment of Substance Use

“…A majority of studies that have attempted to identify barriers to treatment entry and retention have primarily used qualitative methods and life history interviews to explore the nature of perceived barriers (Jessup et al, 2003;Kenny et al, 2011;Notley et al, 2012;van Olphen, Freudenberg, Fortin, & Galea, 2006;Redko, Rapp, & Carlson, 2006;Richie, 2001;Roberts & Nishimoto, 2006). Some have used interviewer administered surveys, or a self-administered questionnaire along with qualitative interviews (Masson et al, 2013;Venner et al, 2012).…”

“…Studies which have used quantitative methods have generally involved persons seeking outpatient treatment Rinker et al, 2009;Xu et al, 2007) or those who are not help-seeking but have an identified disorder and would be appropriate for treatment, either because of their history (K. E. Green, 2011;Kenny et al, 2011) or a diagnosed substance use disorder (Mojtabi et al, 2011). Few studies (van Olphen et al, 2006;Richie, 2001) have explored barriers to treatment for substance use disorders of men or women returning from jail.…”