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"The probability that we may fail in the struggle ought not deter us from the support of a cause we believe to be just."
~ Abraham Lincoln

CORI &
EX-OFFENDERS

EX-OFFENDER HOUSING DISCRIMINATION
THE BIG PICTURE: REALITY IN THE U.S.
Prison Information
Addiction and Public Health
Impact on Families

THE REALITY IN MASSACHUSETTS

THE LAW IN MASSACHUSETTS

COMMUNITY RESOURCES IN MASSACHUSETTS

PROGRAMS IN OTHER STATES

REFORM RECOMMENDATIONS 

HOW YOU CAN HELP

ADDICTION AND PUBLIC HEALTH
▼ ADDICTION / ▼ PUBLIC HEALTH / GLOSSARY

Among the many obstacles that ex-offenders often face upon re-entry are addiction and disease. Addiction and disease are prevalent among ex-offenders and pose added barriers to successful re-entry for individuals, and health and safety challenges for the public at large. Access to housing for recently released inmates can create the stability ex-offenders need as they enter into medical and mental health treatment.

Addiction
National Statistics.  Prisons are temporary homes to many people who have substance addiction problems. 

• 83% of prison inmates nationally reported using drugs prior to their offense.
   
• 25% of prison inmates report a dependency on alcohol.
   
• More than half of state prisoners report that they were using drugs or alcohol at the time of their offense.  
   
• An estimated two-thirds of untreated heroin addicts resume their heroin /cocaine use within three months of their release.
   
• Inmates who complete residential treatment for addiction while incarcerated are 73% less likely to be re-arrested than untreated inmates.
   
• Likewise, treated inmates were also 44% less likely than untreated inmates to use drugs within the first six months following release.

Massachusetts Statistics.

• In Massachusetts, the Department of Corrections reports that 86.5% of state inmates committed in 1999 would benefit from substance addiction treatment.
   
• During that time, about 33% of the state prison population participated in some form of voluntary substance addiction treatment.  

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Public Health
A disproportionately large percentage of those incarcerated in the U.S. suffer from serious infectious diseases. A 1996 study by the National Commission on Correctional Health Care compared the health of soon to be released offenders with the US population at large.  They found that a soon to be released offender is:

• 4 times more likely to have active tuberculosis.
   
• 9-10 times more likely to have Hepatitis C.
   
• 5 times more likely to have AIDS.
   
• 8-9 times more likely to have HIV infection.
   
• 3-5 times more likely to have Schizophrenia or some other psychotic disorder.
   
• 1.3-4 times more likely to be Bipolar.

In addition, approximately 25% of all U.S. residents with HIV/AIDS in 1997 were released from a correctional facility.  Similarly, almost one third of people in the U.S. living with hepatitis C or tuberculosis in 1997 were released from a correctional facility. 

Currently in the U.S., approximately 33% of the population lacks access to primary health care and approximately 46.3 million Americans lack health insurance.  The release of offenders from prison presents numerous public health challenges.  As ex-offenders return to communities in which resources are already scarce, they struggle to access health services.

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