Gender-specific behavioral health and community release patterns among New Jersey prison inmates: implications for treatment and community reentry.

OBJECTIVES: We describe behavioral health diagnoses and community release patterns among adult male and female inmates in New Jersey prisons and assess their implications for correctional health care and community reentry.

METHODS: We used clinical and classification data on a census of "special needs" inmates (those with behavioral health disorders) in New Jersey (n=3189) and a census of all special needs inmates released to New Jersey communities over a 12-month period (n=974).

RESULTS: Virtually all adult inmates with special needs had at least 1 Axis I mental disorder, and 68% of these had at least 1 additional Axis I mental disorder, a personality disorder, or addiction problem (67% of all male and 75% of all female special needs inmates). Of those special needs inmates released, 25% returned to the most disadvantaged counties in New Jersey (27% of all male and 18% of all female special needs inmates).

CONCLUSIONS: Two types of clustering were found: gender-specific clustering of disorders among inmates and spatial clustering of ex-offenders in impoverished communities. These findings suggest a need for gendered treatment strategies within correctional settings and need for successful reentry strategies.