Abstract
BackgroundThe paper presents a systematic review and metasynthesis of findings from qualitative evaluations of community reentry programs. The programs sought to engage recently released adult prison inmates with either problematic drug use or a mental health disorder.MethodsSeven biomedical and social science databases, Cinahl, Pubmed, Scopus, Proquest, Medline, Sociological abstracts and Web of Science and publisher database Taylor and Francis were searched in 2016 resulting in 2373 potential papers. reviews left 140 papers of which 8 were included after detailed review. Major themes and subthemes were identified through grounded theory inductive analysis of results from the eight papers. Of the final eight papers the majority (6) were from the United States. In total, the papers covered 405 interviews and included 121 (30%) females and 284 (70%) males.ResultsFindings suggest that the interpersonal skills of case workers; access to social support and housing; and continuity of case worker relationships throughout the pre-release and post-release period are key social and structural factors in program success.ConclusionEvaluation of community reentry programs requires qualitative data to contextualize statistical findings and identify social and structural factors that impact on reducing incarceration and improving participant health. These aspects of program efficacy have implications for reentry program development and staff training and broader social and health policy and services.
Highlights
The paper presents a systematic review and metasynthesis of findings from qualitative evaluations of community reentry programs
Sample and procedures The aim of this review is to provide a synthesis of the factors relevant to successful community reentry identified by qualitative reentry program evaluations
Structural context translated into specific forms of practical support provided via the program or relational and psychological factors associated with service provision
Summary
The paper presents a systematic review and metasynthesis of findings from qualitative evaluations of community reentry programs. The programs sought to engage recently released adult prison inmates with either problematic drug use or a mental health disorder. Reentry to the community is known to be highly stressful This is attributable to the complexity of health problems and poor engagement with health and social services (Fazel and Baillargeon 2011; Fazel et al 2006; Kinner et al 2011; Kinner 2006). A recent systematic review of randomized controlled trials of community reentry interventions designed to improve prisoner health from imprisonment to 1 year post release concluded ‘the high burden of mortality, morbidity, and hospitalization post-release suggested that a greater focus on improving health in this population during and after release is warranted’ (Kouyoumdjian et al 2015 p.e29) and that there are substantial gaps in evidence ( see Hayhurst et al 2015)
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