Giving Compass' Take:

• Formerly incarcerated individuals often have urgent health needs, but lack resources and access to care that they need. Grantmakers in Health explore programs that are working to close the needs gap.

• What unique challenges do the formerly incarcerated face? 

• Learn about a newsletter helping inmates prepare for reintegration. 

There were nearly 11 million admissions to United States’ jails in 2015. Research shows that men and women admitted to jail have disproportionately higher rates of chronic illness than the general population, along with higher rates of early death.

These individuals often have urgent health care needs during the transitional period immediately following release from jail. However; because most jail stays are relatively short and many jails lack sufficient resources, individuals leaving jail often do not receive discharge planning services that promote continuity of care between facility-based and community-based mental health or substance use services, leading to deleterious health and justice outcomes for the individual.

This is a concern because, in addition to needing chronic disease management, many individuals released from jail are at an increased risk of dying from drug overdose, suicide, or homicide, especially during the two weeks immediately following release, when, studies estimate, they are five to eight times more likely to die than those in the general population. Additionally, individuals with these conditions and illnesses may be particularly vulnerable to unsafe conditions if released at night without anyone to pick them up.

Coordinated discharge and supportive reentry efforts can improve the safety and health of individuals leaving jails, especially those with these chronic conditions.

Read the full article about the healthcare needs of the formerly incarcerated by Amanda Auerbach and Maureen McDonnell at Grantmakers In Health.