Guidelines for the Successful Transition of People with Behavioral Health Disorders from Jail and Prison

Guidelines for the Successful Transition of People with Behavioral Health Disorders from Jail and Prison assists behavioral health and criminal legal system professionals in supporting individuals with behavioral health issues transitioning from incarceration to the community. The guidelines presented in this publication emphasize the importance of cross-systems collaboration to ensure successful reentry and continuity of care. 

This publication was originally released in 2017 and updated in 2019. 

Guidelines for the Successful Transition of People with Behavioral Health Disorders from Jail and Prison – 2019 Update: This document offers 10 guidelines to promote partnerships between behavioral health and criminal justice professionals, ensuring successful transitions from incarceration to the community. Key recommendations include universal screening, individualized treatment plans, continuity of care, and data sharing across agencies. These guidelines integrate principles from the Assess, Plan, Identify, and Coordinate (APIC) model and evidence-based practices, supporting agencies in incorporating these practices into their reentry processes. The goal is to identify individuals needing services, understand the required services, and determine how to meet these needs upon transition to community-based treatment and supervision. 

Guidelines for Successful Transition of People with Mental or Substance Use Disorders from Jail and Prison: Implementation Guide: This guide, published in 2017, provides examples of successful strategies for transitioning individuals with mental or substance use disorders from correctional settings into the community. It promotes the implementation of the APIC guidelines by describing various adopted strategies. The guide highlights the high prevalence of mental and substance use disorders in correctional settings compared to the general public, emphasizing the need for collaborative efforts across behavioral health, criminal legal system, and community partners. The framework aims to achieve dual goals of individual recovery and risk reduction by directing stakeholders to design and implement evidence-based programming. 

Citation 

Blandford, A. M., Osher, F. C., McLeod, M., & Neal, M. (2019). Guidelines for the successful transition of individuals with behavioral health disorders from jail and prison (2nd ed). Delmar, NY: Policy Research Associates, Inc. https://www.prainc.com/resource-library/ 

This resource was first shared in 2017. 

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