Public Health + Public Safety: Integrating Community Health Workers with Probation Officers to Improve Service Delivery for Justice-Involved Women.

Abstract

Integrating public health and public safety strategies is becoming increasingly crucial to maximize positive outcomes for justice-involved people. To date, there is little research exploring the integration of Community Health Workers (CHWs) into community supervision settings. This study utilizes a qualitative approach to explore staff and client (N = 12) perspectives on embedding a CHW into a gender-responsive probation supervision approach. Results from the thematic analysis of staff and clients' responses supported the integration of CHWs into community supervision. Emerging themes were grouped around staff perceptions of CHW's function and role as "navigators," creating a natural division of labor within the agency and operating as a safe resource for clients. Clients reported gaining additional personal and professional support through the embedded CHW within their supervision team. Results suggest that integrating public health professionals, particularly those with lived experience, can alleviate workload and decrease burnout while promoting client treatment needs.