The Reentry Project is a collaborative news initiative about the challenges of—and solutions to—prisoner reentry in Philadelphia
The Beyond the Walls: Prison Healthcare and Reentry Summit brings together the communities that are affected by the parallel crises of HIV and mass imprisonment. These are the stories of those affected by the prison healthcare system.
Healthy inmates can help create a healthier community
After serving their time, today’s inmates will return to their homes and community. In essence, prison health becomes public health, said Hannah Zellman, program director with Philadelphia FIGHT, the nonprofit that hosted Wednesday’s “Beyond the Walls: Prison Healthcare and Reentry Summit.” The annual summit began as a tiny conference focused on the intersection of HIV/AIDS and incarceration.
Wolf, Shapiro tout program to help prisoners re-enter society
HARRISBURG – State officials are launching the first statewide council to help former prison inmates navigate the challenges of finding housing, work and health care as they adjust to life outside bars. – Sarah Mearhoff, Philadelphia Inquirer and Daily News
Can Pennsylvania find a way out for thousands of mentally ill inmates languishing in county jails?
Bruce Herdman, chief of medical operations for the Philadelphia Department of Prisons, sometimes describes the county jails this way: “This is the largest psychiatric hospital in the state of Pennsylvania.” Forty percent of Philadelphia inmates are on psychotropic medications; 17 percent have what’s considered a serious mental illness, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, or major depression.