Community Health Services for Returning Jail and Prison Inmates

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Abstract
Inmates leaving jail and prison often return to an environment in which a significant portion of the population lacks health insurance coverage, different types of health care are inadequately coordinated, and the quality of care often is suboptimal. Many encounter discrimination based on race, ethnicity, drug use, mental health status, or criminal justice history. Moreover, returning inmates have health and social needs that the health care system has difficulty meeting. These include co-occurring disorders such as infectious and chronic diseases, addiction, and other mental health problems; low literacy; other serious life problems; and difficulty in navigating complex systems. Strategies to improve health care for returning inmates include better linkages between correction and community health services, case management, publicly funded health insurance that covers inmates as soon as they are released, and partnerships between correctional agencies, health departments, and service providers.