Strengthening Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services for the Reentry Population

The Louisiana Parole Project is requesting $750,000 in funding to strengthen the mental health and substance abuse screening and assessment process for individuals preparing to return to the community after spending long sentences behind bars. The Parole Project intends to create a mental health care team of two licensed clinical social workers (LCSW) and one licensed master social worker (LMSW). This team will provide in-reach assessments with individuals who are preparing to transition back to the community after serving decades incarcerated as early as six months prior to their release. This information will be used by the mental health care team to ensure participants have a strong continuum of care ready upon release. Screening and assessment for mental health and substance abuse issues will continue while participants are in the Parole Project’s residential program and for those who are more established. The mental health care team will use validated evidenced-based tools and best practices when identifying individual needs, making appropriate referrals, and establishing services to be available upon release.

The target population for this program are individuals being released after serving long sentences and returning to the Baton Rouge New Orleans Super Region. The program aims to serve 300 participants over three years. The effectiveness of these services on the successful reentry for participants will be evaluated by the research partner. The anticipated outcomes for this project include; 80% (240) of participants will not be charged with a new felony or technical revocation of supervision after having been released from incarceration; 80% (240) of clients will have stable housing 12 months following release, and 80% (240) of clients will remain employed 12 months following release.

A final report and training materials will be produced outlining the effectiveness these enhanced mental health and substance abuse screening and assessments have on the successful reentry of our target population. The Parole Project aims to create a more comprehensive system to formalize a continuity of services from the institution to community setting to better support individual-level outcomes, a reduction in recidivism, and improved public safety.

This organization works to promote racial equity and the removal of barriers to access and opportunity and contribute to greater access to services for communities that have been historically underserved, marginalized, and adversely affected by inequality. The majority of the Parole Project’s client base represent the low-income, minority, and underserved residents of the Baton Rouge New Orleans Super Region. T