About the Report The Report, Part II: Review of the Re-Entry Process:

chapters and policy statements:
About the Report of the Re-Entry Council

Policy Statement 27, Research Highlight 1

Effective treatment of most serious health problems depends on an individual's sustained, long-term engagement in health services.

When it comes to treating certain chronic and communicable diseases, mental illness, or substance abuse problems, short-term care is not sufficient. For example, patients on anti-retroviral treatment for HIV who fail to adhere to their treatment regimens may develop drug-resistant viral strains and become more contagious, causing both personal and public health concerns. [1]  , [2]   For HIV, AIDS, and other conditions, treatment that begins while an individual is incarcerated must continue after release to maintain effectiveness. The same principle holds for substance abuse: research shows that outcomes are better when individuals stick with drug treatment for at least 90 days. [3]  

  1. Robert H. Remien and Raymond A. Smith, "HIV prevention in the era of HAART: Implications for providers," AIDS Reader 10 (2000): 247-251. back
  2. As noted in Cheryl Roberts, Sofia Kennedy, and Theodore M. Hammett, "Linkages between In-Prison and Community-Based Health Services" (paper presented at Urban Institute's Re-Entry Roundtable, Los Angeles, December 11-13, 2002), "Most available insights come from examination of programs for HIV-infected inmates and releasees. However, it is important to note that programs for HIV-infected inmates are more extensive and better developed than those available to other inmates, even though other inmates often have just as serious problems and just as critical needs for transitional assistance." [ back
  3. Gerald G. Gaes et al., "Adult Correctional Treatment," in Michael Tonry and Joan Petersilia (eds.), Prisons (Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press, 1999). back
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