New Publication Maps Approach to Successful Re-Entry for Jail/Prison Inmates with Mental Illnesses

October 30, 2009—A new publication from the Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law offers state and local officials and corrections administrators a blueprint for linking inmates of jails and prisons who have psychiatric disabilities to federal benefits promptly upon their release back into the community.

In its new analysis, Lifelines: Linking to Federal Benefits for People Exiting Corrections, the Bazelon Center walks users through steps for aligning the complex rules of federal benefit programs to state and local policies in order to create a system of services and support for released inmates. A plan for action at the facility level lists steps that administrators can take within existing rules to address re-entry issues for inmates with psychiatric disabilities.

Entitlements such as Medicaid, Veterans benefits and Social Security disability payments are critical to enable eligible ex-offenders to access mental health care, housing and other services they need for successful re-entry. Yet without assistance, released inmates face months of delay before receiving these benefits, resulting in a rate of re-arrest more than twice that of ex-inmates generally.

Lifelines is published in three sections for user convenience:

• Volume 1: The Case for Benefit Assistance as Part of Re-Entry Programming (14 pages) includes data on need and cost-benefit analyses from existing initiatives.
• Volume 2: What State and Local Governments and Correctional Facilities Can Do, the heart of the blueprint (48 pages), lists policy changes and implementation steps to ensure access to benefits.
• Volume 3: Appendix (34 pages), explains the federal rules on benefit programs, discusses ways for corrections and mental health systems to collaborate in sharing health information and offers an extensive list of links to model policies and other resources.

Lifelines can be downloaded free as a PDF file or purchased ($6 plus shipping and handling) at www.bazelon.org/issues/criminalization/publications/Lifelines/Lifelines.htm.

The Bazelon Center has produced various publications on access to benefits for inmates exiting correction facilities, from a model law, to a plain-language booklet, to a PowerPoint and training manual for corrections staff. For a list and details of how to obtain them, visit http://www.bazelon.org/publications/criminal/index.html.

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The Bazelon Center for Mental Health Law, www.bazelon.org, is the leading national legal-advocacy organization representing people with mental disabilities. It promotes laws and policies that can enable people with psychiatric or developmental disabilities to exercise their life choices and access the resources they need to participate fully in their communities.