Rebuilding Lives. Strengthening Communities.

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Recommendations Reforms with Statewide Impact • Ensure that prisoners receive a comprehensive health assessment at intake as a basis for treatment plans. • Increase availability of effective in-prison substance abuse and mental health treatment. • Streamline continuity of care from prison into communities. • Develop information-sharing programs to streamline portability of records both into and out of prison. • Ensure timely access to Medicaid and SSI/SSDI benefits for eligible individuals released from prison. Reforms with Citywide Impact • Increase access to and availability of community-based treatment programs to address prisoners’ health-related issues. • Create and expand diversion programs for individuals who commit non-violent offenses and need substance abuse or mental health treatment. • Create more positive social structures and peer support groups to assist with recovery and difficult psychological adjustment during prisoner reentry. Chapter 2 Health 44
Chapter 2: Health By most measures, individuals in correctional facilities are struggling with infectious disease, chronic illness, addiction, and mental disorders at levels far higher than the general public. There are a number of broad cultural factors that contribute to these health challenges and health disparities of people with criminal records, such as low socioeconomic and employment status, lack of adequate health care services and racial discrimination. According to the Bureau of Justice Statistics, over 75 percent of state prisoners and 80 percent of federal prisoners are drug- or alcohol-involved. 1 More than two-thirds of people in jail meet the criteria for substance dependence or abuse. 2 The use of drugs and alcohol is linked to 80 percent of crimes committed in the United States. 3 Serious mental health disorders such as schizophrenia, major depression, bipolar disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder among prisoners are two to four times higher than the general population. 4 Up to 16 percent of the nation’s prison population suffers from at least one serious mental disorder and is in need of treatment. 5 Undeniably, there are individuals living behind bars because they have committed crimes that may not have occurred had they received treatment. Some of our nation’s correctional institutions house more people with mental illness than do our country’s mental health institutions; Cook County Jail, for instance, is the largest mental health care facility in the country today. 6 significant gap between the need for and the availability of basic health care services. Access issues often are exacerbated for returning prisoners who likely had their Medicaid benefits terminated while incarcerated. But health concerns affect not only returning prisoners. If their health needs are not managed appropriately, they also jeopardize the well-being of their family and the community at large. They are at an elevated risk for falling into a destructive cycle of arrest, incarceration, release, deterioration, negative social outcomes, rearrest, and reincarceration. Addressing prisoners’ health issues—substance abuse, mental and physical health, chronic illness and infectious diseases—is an essential component of successful reentry, increasing the likelihood that they will find and keep jobs, secure stable housing, and forge positive, lasting social relationships with family and friends after release. In 1997, prisoners constituted considerably less than one percent of the country’s total population. However, that year, nearly one-quarter of people living with HIV or AIDS, nearly one-third of people with hepatitis C, and more than one-third of those with tuberculosis were released from a prison or jail. 7 Prisoners also have a higher incidence of asthma, high blood pressure and diabetes than the general public. 8 Virtually all of these prisoners will return home, bringing their health concerns with them, and they will face a range of obstacles as they make that adjustment. Health care services play an important role in facilitating a smooth transition back to the community. Unfortunately, despite the tremendous growth of Chicago’s community-based safety net system in recent years, there still remains a MAYORAL POLICY CAUCUS ON PRISONER REENTRY 45
Page 1 and 2: Rebuilding Lives. Restoring Hope. S
Page 3 and 4: Message from the Mayor The issue of
Page 5 and 6: Introduction The Reality of Reentry
Page 7 and 8: Communities Too many communities ar
Page 9 and 10: A National Movement, A Nonpartisan
Page 11 and 12: The Mayoral Policy Caucus on Prison
Page 13 and 14: Theresa W. Theresa W. is a 25-year-
Page 15 and 16: Ramon C. is a 51-year-old Real Life
Page 17 and 18: Chapter 1: Employment Formerly inca
Page 19 and 20: The current need for IDOC’s educa
Page 21 and 22: Ensure pre-release vocational train
Page 23 and 24: Restructure and expand Illinois Cor
Page 25 and 26: While the passage of this legislati
Page 27 and 28: IDOC is currently re-examining the
Page 29 and 30: Solution To increase employment opp
Page 31 and 32: Solution To be most effective, educ
Page 33 and 34: Issue Encourage more “demand-side
Page 35 and 36: Promote and support transitional jo
Page 37 and 38: Promote and support social enterpri
Page 39 and 40: Foster more opportunities for entre
Page 41 and 42: (e.g., expungement, sealing of reco
Page 43 and 44: Sandra S. is a 38-year-old African-
Page 45: Marvin A. Marvin A. is a 64-year-ol
Page 49 and 50: “This is the best chance to locat
Page 51 and 52: Similar to substance abuse treatmen
Page 53 and 54: Solution Connections to community-b
Page 55 and 56: Solution Initially, the State shoul
Page 57 and 58: Medicaid does not pay for services
Page 59 and 60: To ensure the greatest return on in
Page 61 and 62: Solution Diversion programs and alt
Page 63 and 64: Create more positive social structu
Page 65 and 66: Margaret M. is a 55-year- old Latin
Page 67 and 68: Sam J. is a 41- Real Life year-old
Page 69 and 70: Chapter 3: Family Having a supporti
Page 71 and 72: Improve visitation facilities and p
Page 73 and 74: Issue Facilitate contact between pr
Page 75 and 76: Review policies regarding child sup
Page 77 and 78: Reforms with Citywide Impact Suppor
Page 79 and 80: Improve reunification services at C
Page 81 and 82: Support more mentoring and other so
Page 83 and 84: Billie H. is a 41-year-old Real Lif
Page 85 and 86: Shannon G. is a 33-year-old African
Page 87 and 88: Chapter 4: Community Safety Prisone
Page 89 and 90: Ensure that prisoners have appropri
Page 91 and 92: Expand capacity and number of Adult
Page 93 and 94: However, with the dramatic increase
Page 95 and 96: N City of Chicago 2004 Inmate Exits
Page 97 and 98:
Solution The goal of “justice rei
Page 99 and 100:
Solution The City, in partnership w
Page 101 and 102:
Internet. This vehicle allows for i
Page 103 and 104:
Solution The City should work with
Page 105 and 106:
Solution Local “reentry resource
Page 107 and 108:
For example, in Oregon, Deschutes C
Page 109 and 110:
A Note of Thanks Many people worked
Page 111 and 112:
Ms. Ellen A. Meyers, Office of Illi
Page 114 and 115:
Endnotes Introduction MAYORAL POLIC
Page 116 and 117:
Introduction (cont.) 46 Bush, Georg
Page 118 and 119:
Chapter 1: Employment (cont.) MAYOR
Page 120 and 121:
Chapter 1: Employment (cont.) MAYOR
Page 122 and 123:
Chapter 2: Health (cont.) MAYORAL P
Page 124 and 125:
Chapter 2: Health (cont.) MAYORAL P
Page 126 and 127:
Chapter 3: Family (cont.) MAYORAL P
Page 128 and 129:
Chapter 4: Community Safety (cont.)
Page 130 and 131:
Chapter 4: Community Safety (cont.)
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