The process of prisoner reentry is hard enough as it is, but for ex in mate’s with mental health issues, it can be a far greater challenge. As Reardon discusses, some ex inmates don’t get the mental health treatment they need while incarcerated. And for those that do, sometimes the underlying issues that caused their mental health difficulties were not adequately addressed during their stay in prison. When an ex inmate is suffering from anxiety ,depression, psychosis, drug addiction , or other mental health issues, finding a safe place to live, a stable job, and otherwise reintegration into society can feel like an impossible task. Therefore as Wolff posits, there is a critical need for responding to the mental health needs of inmates before they are released, as well as having supports in place to continue monitoring and treating their mental health needs once they have reentered society. In the end, each challenge discussed here is bor insurmountable, but requires a broad based approach, one that starts well before release and includes multiple modes of support for ex inmates upon their release.
