Headline
Systematic review finds that gender-response programs are associated with reductions in reincarceration for women with substance use disorder (SUD) leaving jail or prison.
Context
Prison and jail reentry programs typically do not take into account the unique health and social needs experienced by women with criminal legal system involvement, which include high rates of substance use and mental health needs, as well as significant trauma histories. This systematic review provides an overview of the evidence for reentry programs designed for women with SUD, examining their impact on recidivism.
Findings
Through a review of 12 articles that met their inclusion criteria, which included a total of over 3,500 program participants, the authors identified key reentry program components associated with reduced reincarceration among women with SUD, including gender-responsive programs, individualized support, and the provision of services for substance use, mental health, and trauma. Gender-responsive reentry programming involves addressing the distinct pathways women experience the criminal legal system, providing gender-specific case management and peer support, and incorporating trauma-informed care. Transitional programs were also shown to be more effective at reducing recidivism than programs solely provided post-release.
The authors also found that post-release substance use was significantly reduced in programs that provided services for substance use, mental health, and trauma; incorporated gender-responsive approaches; offered community case management; and utilized cognitive behavioral therapies.
Takeaways
The study indicates that transitional reentry programs offering gender-responsive services, including community case management, better address the health and social needs of women in the criminal legal system with SUD compared to solely post-release programs. This underscores the importance of partnerships between health care and corrections to provide effective pre-release services. Health care and correctional partners can consider implementing gender-specific peer support and ensuring providers are trained in gender-responsive care.