Women parolees' mental health in the context of reintegration

Background Contributing to the literature on reintegration and community supervision, we consider the mental health experiences of women parolees and the implications for case management. Aims We consider the different ways mental health considerations are responded to by parole officers and case management staff, identifying areas of tension (e.g., when psychological services are fused with supervision) but also areas of opportunity (e.g., when case management staff forge therapeutic relationships with parolees). Methods Using a grounded approach we explore women's parole experiences and case management practices through a qualitative analysis of parole and casework documents. Our iterative process of document analysis included content and thematic analysis. Results Mental health is responded to both as a therapeutic need and criminogenic risk. Therapeutic responses entail both formal and informal supportive interventions that often appear welcomed by and beneficial to parolees. Risk-based responses fuse mental health considerations into supervisory frameworks, evidenced by the prominence of mental health-related parole conditions and the role of psychologists as assessors of risk. Conclusions/Implications for Clinical Practice The tension between treatment and supervision can undermine conditions favourable to responsive case management and the working alliance.