Post-Release Intensive Case Management (ICM) for Reentering Women

Through ICM, case managers worked with participants who were incarcerated to determine their needs and goals and to establish reentry plans for support after release. After participants’ release from prison, case managers connected them to mental and physical health treatment, employment, education, and housing services. Participants had access to 24-hour case management and no limits on the duration of participation. Mental and physical health treatment services included mental health, substance abuse, and medical and dental treatment. Employment services included support with resume writing, interview skills, and obtaining work clothes. Education services included GED classes and help completing college and the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA). Housing services included help obtaining safe housing that suited participants’ needs (for example, placement in a halfway house). Case managers helped participants meet basic needs—for instance, by helping them obtain identification documents and apply for public benefits. They also taught participants healthy coping and general life skills, provided legal advocacy (for example, by attending court with participants), offered transportation assistance (for example, by providing bus tickets), and supported participants during crises. The intervention served women released from a state prison and returning to the northern Kentucky area. The intervention was implemented in northern Kentucky.