The Changing Health and Social Circumstances of Women Leaving Jails: A Three-Year Study

Abstract

Ninety-five percent of all inmates are eventually released back into communities. Women, in particular, face complex health and social challenges before incarceration that they must also face upon reentry. Unfortunately, these women represent an “invisible population” whose stories and experiences are often overlooked-- this has had a detrimental effect on reentry programming and their health. In this analysis, we leveraged three years of survey data collected with 254 women annually (49% follow-up rate after three years) to explore the changing health and social circumstances after their release from three Kansas City jails. We used Hirschi’s theory of social control to explain the association between women’s bonds to society and their health-risks. Trajectory and mixed model analyses showed that in the years after release from jail, women had significant improvements in their employment and transportation and significant reductions in exchange of sex for money, drugs, or necessities, alcohol use, past 30-day hard drug use, and substance dependence. Additionally, employment, transportation, and housing were protective against substance dependence; and employment, transportation, and housing were protective against past 30-day hard drug use. Findings from this study support investment in improving women’s social circumstances after release from jail to promote successful reentry and health over the long-term.