Mental Health, Substance Use, and Socioeconomic Needs of Older Persons Paroled or Placed on Probation

Psychosocial Needs of Released Long-Term Incarcerated Older Adults

“…As Wyse (2017) found in her study of formerly incarcerated people, and the releasee who works at Pepsi conveyed, a job can signify to a man that he still has a place in society and personal significance that is lacking without it. Bryson et al (2017) discussed the importance of developing multidisciplinary and case management-based parole and probation programs to help identify, prioritize, and address the complex needs of older adults who were formerly incarcerated. Multidisciplinary parole and probation services should include collaborations with community organizations to work with older adults who are involved in the justice system.…”

“…Locating such programs in the community where they can be sustainable could result in a much more robust support system for referrals, education and information, and resource exchange. In addition, community health care practitioners need to be involved with older adults who have had correctional involvement and must be conscious that they are likely to have complex psychosocial needs (Bryson et al, 2017). Research has also noted that the complexity of formerly incarcerated older adults' needs requires greater collaboration among a diverse group of local stakeholders, including professionals from health care delivery, public health, and criminal justice and the directly affected individuals, their families, and advocates (Metzger et al, 2017).…”

Mental health treatment among older adults with mental illness on parole or probation

“…Community correctional programs, such as parole and probation, form an important coordinating bridge between the criminal justice and community healthcare systems for individuals with mental illness (Epperson et al, 2014; Lamberti, 2016; Morrissey, Fagan, & Cocozza, 2009; Munetz & Griffin, 2006; Osher & King, 2015), but little is known about their role in mental health services coordination for older adults (Maschi, Sutfin, & O’Connell, 2012). This is a critical knowledge gap, since older adults (those in their 50s or older) are the fastest growing age demographic in prisons and jails (Carson & Anderson, 2016; Carson & Sabol, 2016), there are up to four times as many older adults on community correctional supervision as there are incarcerated (McCarthy & Langworthy, 1987), and their burden of mental health needs is disproportionate to the general population of older adults (Bryson, Cotton, & Brooks, 2017).…”

“…Mental health-related conditions are more prevalent among older adults on parole or probation than older adults without justice involvement, including past-year major depression (15% vs. 5%), serious psychological distress (22% vs. 6%), alcohol use disorders (20% vs. 3%), and drug use disorders (7% vs. 0.6%) (Bryson et al, 2017). Advanced age and mental illness have been independently linked to poor social supports, severe material deprivation, and problems with social reintegration upon release from incarceration (Dobmeier et al, 2017; Western, Braga, Davis, & Sirois, 2015; Wyse, 2018).…”

“…We compared the prevalence and treatment of SMMI among older adults on parole or probation to those among older adults who were not on community corrections. In light of prior research suggesting considerable barriers to healthcare access among older justice-involved individuals (Bryson et al, 2017; Western et al, 2015), our primary hypothesis was that a smaller proportion of older adults with SMMI in the justice-involved group would receive treatment.…”