First Lady Wolf Highlights Importance of Mental Health for Justice-Impacted Women – pa.gov

Today,First Lady Frances Wolf hostedWomenInReentry:Mental Health,thethirdin a series of virtual conversationsbetweenreentry advocatesand mentalhealth professionals. The panel discussedthe impacts of incarceration ona womansmentalhealth andthe implications theycanhave onherreentry. They also highlighted active programs that are supporting themental health needsofjustice-impacted women.

Panelists included:

As a society, we are becoming more aware of the role that mental health plays in our collective wellbeingand we see the detriments of nottending to it oraddressing our trauma, said First Lady Wolf. For justice-impactedwomen, these realities are no different,and helping them get support, counselling, or treatment is foundationalfortheir successupon their return home.

Dr. Jurman and Sec. Smith started the conversation by defining trauma and substance use disorders (SUDs) and explaining why understanding these terms is key to addressing the mental health of women involved with the criminal justice system.

It is crucial that we understand the impacts that trauma and mental illness have on women pre-incarceration and during incarceration, and what that means for their successful reentry into our communities upon their release, said Dr. Jurman. When you understand the effects of those traumas, you can work to prevent them and create environments where these women can thrive.

According to the Pennsylvania Department of Corrections, about 66 percent of the women instate correctional institutions (SCIs)are on the DOC mental health roster, while over50 percent ofthewomen have a history of substance abuse.Withmost ofthe women also being mothers and/or primary caretakers, the need for gender-specific, trauma-informed care is crucial to the well-being of not only the reentrants themselves, but their entire families and communities.

For more than 20 years, SCI-Muncy, one of two SCIs dedicated to women, has had programming in place to address trauma and abuse, as these are very commonly part of incarcerated womens life stories. New staff at PA state womens prisons must complete Women Offenders in PA Corrections training, which educates them on how to be most responsive when working with a female population. DOC also provides Seeking Safety, agender-specific programthataddressespost-traumatic stress disorderandSUDs. DOC is currently developing a new assessment tool that will consider gender differences in risk/needs assessment and minimize the bias which causes women to be over classified.

Mental health issues and substance use disorders are common among women entering our system,and,often,the two go hand in hand, said Deputy Secretary Evans. The Pennsylvania Department of Corrections continues to recognize the importance of meeting individuals where they are upon reception and providing each individual reentrant with the treatment and rehabilitative support services that are unique to their situation.We continue to take a holistic approach to prepare our reentrants for the many challenges theyll face upon their reentry. We offer many treatment programs, vocational opportunities, education services, and wrap-around services for those that are in the reentry process to ensure the warmest handoff possible. This also includes the recent addition ofMedication-Assisted Treatment(MAT)for those with SUDs and the use of Reentry Parole Agents and Social Workers to assist in successful reentry.

InOctober2018,the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) awarded Pennsylvania $55.9 million in federal grant funding for the states response to the opioid epidemic.The Wolf Administration allocated$3 million to the Department of Corrections to significantly expand access to FDA-approvedMATto re-entrants and support the agencys efforts to hire an in-house addiction medicine specialist.Then, in 2020,more than $1.2 million in grants were awarded to nine county jailsto support the county jail-basedMATProgram to increase opioid use disorder (OUD) services to individuals incarcerated in prisons and jails across the commonwealth.

Expanding access to evidence-basedMATand serviceshasbeen a primary goal of the Wolf Administration in battling the addiction crisis, especially for priority populations like women who are incarcerated, said Secretary Smith. We have seen the lives of individuals who are incarcerated changed through the expansion of treatment at the state level,and we must continue to expand programs such as drug courts and police diversion programs,which have also been successful at rehabilitating individuals and breaking the cycle of recidivism.

The 2019 American Psychological Association articleIncarcerated women: poverty, trauma, and unmet needstates thatfemale offenders often face higher-than-average rates of lifetime exposure to cumulative trauma, as well asphysical and sexual victimization; untreated mental illness; the use of substances to manage distress; and behavioral choices that arise in conjunction with gross economic disparities.Additionally, upon release, women face uphill battles with health challenges as well as emotional and behavioral disorders.For those who have not received the mental health orSUDtreatment needed during incarceration, rates of relapsearehigh, especially in the absence of appropriate community-based services.

Community-based organizations likeRenew andWhy Not Prosperempower women to prioritize their mental health through the various services they offer.

Recovering Mothers with Newborns, orReNew, is a prevention program of Bethany Christian Services that supports expectant mothers with a history of substance use who are also incarceratedby preparing thempre-and post-release fromLancasterCountyPrison(LCP), as well aspre-andpost-deliveryof their child. Their process consists ofidentifyingprogram-eligible womenand screening them upon entry intoLCP; conducting an assessmentto identify each womans needs; coordinating treatment priorto her releasefrom LCP; providing a continuum of care up to one year after the birth of the child; and providing recoverysupport.

Founded in Philadelphia by Rev. Dr. Michelle Simmons,Why Not Prosperconnects women withresources, including those related tomental healthtreatment,throughtheir Sisters Achieving Mentorship through Transformation (SAM) hotline;a community resource center program serving women in the Germantown area;andpre-release mentoringfor women in RiversideCorrectional Facility, as well as SCIs Muncy and Cambridge, among otherinitiatives.Why Not Prospercurrently serves women in Philadelphiaand has recently secured a Harrisburglocationto expanditsreach. The nextWomen in Reentryroundtable is scheduled for Wednesday, December15.

The conversation can be viewed on theOne Lens Facebook pageorPAcast.

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First Lady Wolf Highlights Importance of Mental Health for Justice-Impacted Women - pa.gov