How does reentry get under the skin? Cumulative reintegration barriers and health in a sample of recently...

Research demonstrates a significant link between incarceration history and poorer physical and mental health. Yet, few studies have examined how a formerly incarcerated person's barriers to reintegration in the months upon release influence health outcomes.

We use data on recently incarcerated men from the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative (SVORI) to examine how multiple barriers to reintegration related to employment, housing, childcare, and service needs accumulate to influence physical and mental health three, nine, and 15 months after release.

A series of cross-lagged panel models indicate that a greater number of barriers to reintegration after release from prison (1) decreases self-rated health at all three waves and (2) increases symptoms of depression three and nine months after release. Moreover, both lower self-rated physical health and increased symptoms of depression are found to increase reintegration barriers.

Enhanced policy to ease the burden of reintegration and provide comprehensive services upon release may not only bolster chances for successful community reintegration but also improve the health of those formerly incarcerated at a critical juncture in their lives.