Jail Reentry and Gaps in Substance Use Disorder Treatment in Rural Communities

ABSTRACT There are many barriers to jail reentry, particularly for those suffering from substance use disorder who live in isolated rural communities. This study draws on qualitative interviews conducted with 17 individuals involved in the criminal justice system, either through their own incarceration or probation sentence or as correctional or probation staff, to identify unmet reentry-related needs for individuals with substance use disorder in a rural community. Participants describe fear of continued drug use and a lack of a safe place to stay as the most pressing post-release concerns. The lack of readily accessible local behavioral health services was also consistently recognized as a significant gap by staff and criminal justice involved individuals alike. There was an emphasis on the importance of limiting the time between release and engagement with community-based treatment for ensuring initiation of long-term recovery and successful reentry. Based on these findings, recommendations for closing these gaps include increasing available housing for substance using populations (i.e., inpatient treatment facilities), expanding the quantity and quality of behavioral healthcare services in the community, improving communication between criminal justice agents and treatment providers, expanding jail-based medication assisted therapy (MAT) programs, and reducing the stigma associated with substance use in rural communities.