In Need of Help

The nonpartisan Urban Institute publishes studies, reports, and books on timely topics worthy of public consideration. The views expressed are those of the authors and should not be attributed to the Urban Institute, its trustees, or its funders.

Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).

Among the 650,000 persons released, nationally, from prison in 2004 is a large group of prisoners with serious medical and mental health conditions. In a survey of state and federal prisoners, for example, about one in five prisoners reported a physical or mental health problem that limited their ability to work.¹ Addressing the needs of such prisoners as they leave prison and return home is a complex process, one that must take into account the immediate health status of released prisoners, their expectations about health care, and the availability of and connections between prison health care and community health services.

To begin to shed light on this issue, as part of the Returning Home project in Ohio, the Urban Institute conducted a small, exploratory study of the experiences of prisoners with serious mental and medical health problems as they prepared for release and sought health care services upon their return to Cincinnati (see sidebar on the Returning Home study). This research brief presents information that was gathered through interviews and focus groups with 81 male prisoners who had identified mental and/or medical health problems, and focus groups with health care and social service providers who serve former prisoners in Cincinnati.

This brief provides a look at the service delivery system in Cincinnati for former prisoners with mental and medical health problems, including collaborations among service providers and local, state, and federal agencies and including organizational barriers to service delivery for this population. The brief begins with a description of our study and a profile of our study participants, including health conditions they were diagnosed with and preventive health care they received. Using information gathered from surveys and ex-prisoner and provider focus groups, it documents prisoners' transitions from prison to the community and through about 90 days after their release, with a focus on their medical and mental health care and substance abuse treatment needs and the services they received.

The brief concludes with some policy implications for the reentry transition from prison to the community for individuals with medical and mental health care conditions and substance abuse treatment needs. Both prisoners and service providers urged a focus on the development of service delivery systems that ensure a seamless transition from care inside the prison walls to care on the outside for this particular group of individuals who possess significant needs and face unique challenges.

Notes from this section

1. Maruschak, L., and Beck, A. 2001. "Medical Problems of Inmates, 1997." Washington, D.C.: Bureau of Justice Statistics.

Note: This report is available in its entirety in the Portable Document Format (PDF).

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