M7A1 Essay: Barriers to Successful Re-Entry

38888This activity addresses module outcomes 1 & 4. Upon completion of this activity, you will be able to:
• MO1: Identify the various entry points into the community mental health system for justice-involved persons. (CO2)
• MO4: Apply the Assess, Plan, Identify, and Coordinate (APIC) Model in assessing the efficacy of programs designed to facilitate the effective community reintegration of formerly incarcerated persons. (CO1 & 3)
The transition from prison to life in the community is fraught with barriers to successful re-entry. Housing, employment, access to mental health personnel, reactivation of medical insurance, and family reunification are just a few of the hurdles that must be overcome if an offender is to be successful in his or her re-entry planning.

Before beginning this activity view the following:
• Online video:
o Frontline. (2009, April 28). The released. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [Video file] [54 min 05 sec]. Retrieved from http://video.pbs.org/video/1114528522/
• Website:
o Blandford, A. M., & Osher, F. (2013). Guidelines for successful transition of people with behavioral health disorders from jail and prison. (Links to an external site.)Links to an external site. [PDF file size 2.2 MB] Delmar, NY: SAMHSA’s GAINS Center for Behavioral Health and Justice Transformation. Retrieved from http://gainscenter.samhsa.gov/cms-assets/documents/147845-318300.guidelines-document.pdf
For this assignment, you are to familiarize yourself with the Assess, Plan, Identify, and Coordinate (APIC) Model for improving outcomes for persons with serious mental disorders who are transitioning from institutional settings to community settings. Apply this information to the several men profiled in the PBS documentary.

In a well-organized essay of 700-1000 words, you are to:
1. Identify the key barriers to successful re-entry for persons with mental illness returning to the community after incarceration.
2. Outline the public and private efforts established to overcome these barriers.
3. Assess the extent to which these efforts satisfy the principles of the APIC Model in facilitating successful community reintegration.
Use the American Psychological Association (APA) style (6th edition) for writing your assignment. Cite specific statements from the referenced material.