Factors Associated with Recovery Housing Availability for Individuals Involved in the Carceral System.

Area of Science:

• Public Health
• Criminology
• Addiction Medicine

Background:

• Substance use disorders (SUD) and involvement with the carceral system are closely linked.
• Individuals exiting carceral facilities require accessible recovery support services.
• Recovery housing provides housing and recovery support but its proximity to carceral facilities is unknown.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the co-location of recovery housing with carceral facilities in the US.
• To examine the availability and density of recovery residences near state and federal prisons.

Main Methods:

• Utilized data from the National Study of Addiction and Treatment Recovery Residences (2020-2021, N=10,358).
• Analyzed the spatial relationship between recovery housing and US state and federal prisons/detention centers.

Main Results:

• Recovery residences are frequently co-located with state and federal carceral facilities.
• Counties with state prisons showed 74% higher odds of having any recovery housing (p < 0.001).
• Recovery housing density was 35% higher in counties with state prisons (p < 0.001), with similar trends for federal prisons.

Conclusions:

• Recovery housing is often situated near state and federal prisons, potentially aiding individuals with SUD.
• Future research should explore access barriers and community impacts of recovery housing for this population.
• Understanding this spatial relationship is vital for developing effective reentry and recovery support systems.