Communication Over Incarceration: Improving Care Coordination Between Correctional and Community Mental Health Services

Millions of people are incarcerated every year in the United States, many of whom have mental disorders and substance use disorders. Alongside the considerable churn of people into and out of U.S. jails and prisons, numerous barriers often impede information exchange between correctional and community mental health services, disrupting continuity of care and threatening the well-being of incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people. This Open Forum examines barriers to information sharing, a critical component of care coordination, between correctional and community mental health services and offers potential solutions to improve continuity of care in these contexts.