Many Ex-Prisoners??? Ability to Lead Productive Lives Hindered by Lack of Counseling, Support, and Resources

NEW YORK CITY, June 12???Almost half the people returning home from New York City jails are rearrested within 12 months, and former New York City prisoners returning home to East and Central Harlem attribute the high rate of recidivism to their lack of pre- and post-release preparation, according to a recent study in the Journal of Urban Health. Researchers at the Academy???s Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies and other institutions conducted focus groups with 37 men and women who had been released from the New York City jail system within the last 12 months. Those interviewed for the study, entitled ???Community Reentry: Perceptions of People with Substance Use Problems Returning Home from Jail,??? felt that city jail, which detains people for under one year, failed to prepare them for release in ways including the following:

??? Many of those without family or friends to shelter them were unable to access social service assistance upon release. They were often released as early as 5:00 a.m., when no service agencies are open. Their personal property was held in a separate facility from where they were incarcerated, and many lacked the transportation, money, or time to retrieve their possessions. They left jail without identification and could not apply for government benefits. Obtaining the resources to pay for transportation to service agencies that could help them find jobs and housing was often impossible.

??? Staying away from drugs was a ???formidable obstacle.??? Eighty percent of New York City inmates report substance use problems, for which they receive little or no treatment during incarceration or after release. Focus group participants reported that the temptation to become re-involved with drugs upon release is intense: Their friends are doing drugs; money worries provoke depression that can trigger drug use; and a lack of income or legitimate avenues for earning money encourages a return to drug-selling.

??? While finding a job upon release was most participants??? primary goal, none felt that the jail system had prepared them for this task. They did not receive vocational training while incarcerated and lacked assistance finding a job outside of jail. In addition, they faced employment discrimination because of their histories.

??? In part because of housing and welfare policies, many faced unstable housing situations after leaving jail, with the shelter system their only option. This made it nearly impossible to establish a firm footing in the community.

???The lack of support and help for people before and after release set people up for failure when they return to their communities,??? says the lead author of the study, Juliana van Olphen of the Department of Health Education at San Francisco State University. ???Investments in policies and programs that help rather than hurt people returning from jail will pay off in the long term, reducing costs related to substance use, infectious diseases, incarceration and crime.??? Co-authors of the study include Nicholas Freudenberg of the Program in Urban Public Health at Hunter College and New York Academy of Medicine researchers, Sandro Galea and Princess Fortin.

Since 1995, the average annual growth rate of women being incarcerated, at 5 percent, exceeds that of men at 3.4 percent. A second Journal of Urban Health study focused on the needs of women leaving jail in Baltimore and whether they would have a stable place to stay upon release ??? that is, a place where they knew they could reside for at least 30 days. Almost half of the 148 detainees who were interviewed did not expect to have stable housing when they got out of jail. Those who anticipated having stable housing possessed strong family ties and/or an income of $400-$799 per month, demonstrating the vital role of familial support and income opportunities for successful re-entry from jail. Women who desired support groups for past involvement in sex work and those identifying themselves as lesbian were less likely to have a place to stay, suggesting that they tend to be more isolated from social and economic resources that help to ensure successful re-entry. Substance use, lack of health insurance, and the inability to afford drug treatment also appear to impact the successful reintegration of women prisoners, the authors found.

The study, ???Release from Jail: Moment of Crisis or Window of Opportunity for Female Detainees???? was conducted by researchers Johns Hopkins University and has ???immediate practical implications,??? says the lead author, Rachel McLean, a researcher at the Bloomberg School of Public Health at Johns Hopkins University. ???Women in the United States are being sent to prisons and jails at increasing rates. Prison and jail administrators are just beginning to understand the unique needs of incarcerated women.???

With nearly half of the women interviewed anticipating a lack of housing stability upon release, pre-release planning efforts should help to connect detainees with affordable housing opportunities. Because strong family ties, monthly incomes above $400, and being free of drugs are ???protective??? of women in jails, McLean says that ???programs responsive to women???s needs should work to strengthen women???s connections with their children through increased access to family visits and phone calls, offer access to drug treatment, and provide programs to help women gain employment.??? Given that women leaving jail who identify as lesbian or have been engaged in sex work tend to be alienated from their families, they are especially in need of ???non-judgmental support services, healthcare, and housing.???

Between 1980 and 2002, the U.S. jail population increased by 265 percent, resulting in unprecedented numbers of people being released from jail on a daily basis. Up to 75-80 percent of those in jail report substance use problems; more than 25 percent report mental health problems; rates of HIV infection are six times higher among jail and prison inmates than the general population. There are not enough jail or prison programs to address these issues, leading to the release of prisoners struggling with serious issues of health and welfare. To further exacerbate the obstacles prisoners face in making successful transitions, many return to neighborhoods ???burdened with health problems, unemployment, and environmental degradation.???

The Journal of Urban Health is a bi-monthly publication of the Academy and is edited by David Vlahov, PhD, and director of the Academy???s Center for Urban Epidemiologic Studies. Founded in 1847, The New York Academy of Medicine is an independent, non-partisan, non-profit institution whose mission is to enhance the health of the public. The Academy is a leading center for urban health policy and action working to enhance the health of people living in cities worldwide through research, education, advocacy, and prevention.

-by A'Dora Phillips

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Posted on June 12, 2006

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