Healing Men to Reduce Re-Offending: Trauma Resolution Treatment in Prisoner Reentry Programs

Alper, Durose, and Markman\u27s (2018) longitudinal study on rearrest data in 30 states reported that over 80% of prisoners returned to jail within nine years of release. With over 600,000 being released each year, effectively increasing the success of reentry efforts is important for public safety and cost containment. Reentry programs—those that facilitate the social integration of released inmates—have produced inconsistent results. Although trauma-informed-care has become commonplace across social and justice services, surprisingly few male-centered reentry programs focus their service efforts on the resolution of trauma and the reduction of traumatic symptomology. However, research consistently indicates that a comparatively high rate of male offenders endures trauma exposure throughout their life, and that trauma-related symptoms may contribute to offending behaviors. Therefore, a community-university collaborative team in Milwaukee, Wisconsin is in the planning stages of implementing a trauma resolution model within a male-only reentry-like program. The research question to be answered is the following: Is participation in a trauma-resolution treatment model associated with improvements in mental health outcomes over time among reentry program participants? Through a quasi-experimental design, 30 qualified men will participate in “Instinctive Trauma Response” (ITR) treatment. The comparison group will be composed of 30 matched participants. Mental health outcomes including PTSD will be measured at baseline and four additional time points to assess potential program effects immediately after the intervention and up to 12 weeks beyond. With a mixed effects analysis of covariance, controlling for several demographic variables and using a repeated measures assessment design, the investigators will assess changes over time across both study conditions. Study authors hypothesize that ITR will reduce symptoms of trauma and improve mental health for intervention participants. The implication is that positive results could help influence reentry programming, potentially prompting the integration of trauma-resolution models within reentry programming