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

Abstract #109287

Amy Blank, LSW, School of Social Work, University of Pennsylvania, 3701 Locust Walk, Philadelphia, PA 19104, 215-573-9298, amyblank@comcast.net and Jeffrey Draine, MSW, PhD, Center for Mental Health Policy and Services Research, University of Pennsylvania, 3535 Market Street, 3rd Floor, Philadelphia, PA 19104.

Prisoner re-entry is an evolving area for the application of evidence based mental health service practices. We conducted a national assessment of the structure and practices of reentry from prison programs for people with mental illness. METHODS: A national survey was conducted to identify service strategies being used by programs to bridge the transition from incarceration to the community for prisoners with mental illness. Fifty-eight reentry programs were identified. Program descriptions were developed for fifty. RESULTS: Reentry programs vary based on their location relative to the criminal justice and mental health systems, types of professionals staffing the programs, and degree of collaboration between the two systems. Among program initiatives for reentry, 74% were found to be initiated by the criminal justice system, many of which used evidence-based practices borrowed from mental health services. Initiatives of the criminal justice system tended to collaborate more with mental health systems than mental health initiatives collaborated with criminal justice systems. IMPLICATIONS: If the funding trend indicated by this survey continues, the criminal justice system will become a primary funder of treatment services for mentally ill offenders returning to the community. Yet, we don't know how this shift in funding and program locations will affect the provision of mental health services and the long-term implementation of the services with fidelity to evidence based models.

Learning Objectives:

Attendees for this paper will be able to
• Assess the context for evidence based initiatives for reentry from prison for individuals with mental illness.
• Understand policy and service implications of curent trends in these initiatives, particularly for criminal justice involvement and community integration.
• Articulate next steps in assuring longevity and fidelity of service models for individuals wiht mental illness leaving prison.

Keywords: Criminal Justice, Mental Illness

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.