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Cynthia L. Blitz, PhD, Nancy Wolff, PhD, Ko-Yu Pan, PhD and Wendy Pogorzelski, PhD

At the time of the study, Cynthia L. Blitz, Nancy Wolff, Ko-Yu Pan, and Wendy Pogorzelski were with the Center for Mental Health Services & Criminal Justice Research at Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Cynthia Blitz, Center for Mental Health Services & Criminal Justice Research, Rutgers University, 30 College Ave, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 (e-mail: cblitz{at}ifh.rutgers.edu).

Objectives. We describe behavioral health diagnoses and community release patterns among adult male and female inmates in New Jersey prisons and assess their implications for correctional health care and community reentry.

Methods. We used clinical and classification data on a census of "special needs" inmates (those with behavioral health disorders) in New Jersey (n=3189) and a census of all special needs inmates released to New Jersey communities over a 12-month period (n=974).

Results. Virtually all adult inmates with special needs had at least 1 Axis I mental disorder, and 68% of these had at least 1 additional Axis I mental disorder, a personality disorder, or addiction problem (67% of all male and 75% of all female special needs inmates). Of those special needs inmates released, 25% returned to the most disadvantaged counties in New Jersey (27% of all male and 18% of all female special needs inmates).

Conclusions. Two types of clustering were found: gender-specific clustering of disorders among inmates and spatial clustering of ex-offenders in impoverished communities. These findings suggest a need for gendered treatment strategies within correctional settings and need for successful reentry strategies.

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