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Reentry for Safer Communities: Effective County Practices in Jail to Community Transition Planning for Offenders with Mental Health and Substance Abuse Disorders

NCJ Number
229095
Author(s)
Justin Carmody
Editor(s)
Lesley Buchan
Date Published
September 2008
Length
17 pages
Annotation
Intended for those in the community interested in reentry options for offenders released from jail with mental health and substance abuse disorders, this publication defines the essential components of effective transition planning for this population and presents studies of promising county practices across the country.
Abstract
In April 2005, the National Association of Counties (NACo) and the Bureau of Justice Assistance of the U.S. Justice Department convened a Reentry Focus Group that included experts from the criminal justice and mental health fields. The group addressed planning for transition from jail to the community for individuals with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. The group identified and defined five major characteristics of promising practices in local transition planning. They are collaboration between criminal justice and mental health agencies; access to available benefits in the areas of medication, health care, housing, food, and employment; program sustainability over time; the provision of gender-specific and culturally sensitive treatment programs; and provision of linkages to appropriate services and support in the community that will prevent reoffending. NACo then sent out a "Call for Nominations" in soliciting examples of model sites with these essential reentry elements. Based on the features of the programs NACo received, as well as the recommendations that emerged from the Reentry Focus Group, six models were selected for further review. After site visits to the six counties that included interviews with key leaders, they were confirmed as examples of reentry programs with the aforementioned five criteria for effective reentry for offenders with co-occurring mental health and substance abuse disorders. The features and results of each of the six model programs are presented in this publication. The six counties are Allegheny County, PA; Auglaize County, OH; Black Hawk County, IA; Macomb County, MI; Montgomery County, MD; and Multnomah County, OR. 7 figures and 13 notes