Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #106944

Juliana Van Olphen, PhD, Health Education, San Francisco State University, 1600 Holloway Ave HSS 326, San Francisco, CA 94132, 415-405-2149, jvo@sfsu.edu

A majority of those serving time in jail and prison have drug and related health problems, and all will eventually return to their communities, most often without having received any formal drug treatment or other services while incarcerated. Community reintegration from jail and prison constitutes a critical moment in the natural history of several public health problems – substance abuse, infectious disease, lack of health care – and an opportunity for disease prevention and health promotion. Yet numerous local, state and national policies in corrections, housing, health care, substance abuse treatment and employment serve as barriers to community reintegration. The purpose of this project was to identify local policies (SF Bay Area/city of Oakland) that influence community reintegration of people leaving jail or prison with drug-related problems and to suggest strategies for involving community members in policy advocacy. Key informant interviews were conducted with experts regarding community reentry of people leaving prisons or jails. Secondary data collection consisted of a review and content analysis of newspaper reports, public records, and notes from meetings of the Community Reentry Service Provider Network (CRSPN), a network of Alameda County Service Providers serving the formerly incarcerated. The findings suggest that there are a number of policies across different systems (such as corrections, employment, and health care) that are harmful to people leaving jails and prisons with substance use problems. The implications of these and other findings for the community reentry of people leaving prisons and jails and for involving various stakeholders in policy advocacy are discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Identify policy barriers to community reintegration of people leaving jail or prison with drug use problems;
• Identify the ways in which policies shape individuals’ choices around drug use, crime, health and employment.
• Describe strategies for involving community members and other stakeholders in policy advocacy.

Keywords: Policy/Policy Development, Jails and Prisons

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.