Peer navigation for individuals with serious mental illness leaving jail: a pilot randomized trial study protocol

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Mental Health Services Research
• Criminal Justice Health

Background:

• Serious mental illness (SMI) affects 25% of incarcerated individuals, posing significant public health challenges.
• Community re-entry after jail is a critical period for individuals with SMI, requiring immediate and sustained healthcare access.
• Justice-involved individuals with SMI face barriers to accessing essential mental health and social services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and pilot test the Mentoring And Peer Support (MAPS) intervention for jailed individuals with SMI.
• To assess the feasibility and acceptability of the MAPS intervention's recruitment, training, and delivery methods.
• To lay the groundwork for a larger randomized controlled trial evaluating the MAPS intervention's effectiveness.

Main Methods:

• The study involved focus groups (n=36), an open trial (n=15), and a randomized pilot trial (n=40) of individuals with SMI re-entering the community post-incarceration.
• The MAPS intervention utilized peer navigators to connect individuals with mental health, medical, and substance use services.
• Outcomes measured included feasibility, acceptability, service enrollment, symptom reduction, functioning, medication adherence, and rearrest rates.

Main Results:

• The pilot study successfully evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of the peer navigation intervention and its associated research methods.
• Preliminary data informed the refinement of intervention components and research design for future trials.
• The study design and recruitment strategies were deemed feasible for implementation in this population.

Conclusions:

• The Mentoring And Peer Support (MAPS) intervention is a feasible and acceptable approach for supporting individuals with serious mental illness transitioning from jail.
• Peer navigation shows promise in facilitating community re-entry and connection to essential services for justice-involved individuals with SMI.
• This formative work supports the development of a larger trial to rigorously assess the effectiveness of peer navigation for this vulnerable population.