Incarcerated women face unique and significant challenges with their reentry, with significant obstacles that include poor job opportunities for financial stability, social stigma, substance abuse, and mental health issues, to name a few.

The New Jersey Reentry Corporation (NJRC) Women’s Project aims to address the healthcare and reentry challenges of incarcerated women through tailored support services, ultimately improving their wellness and reducing recidivism.

A review of the NJRC Women’s Project is presented as a template that provides a comprehensive set of medical, behavioral, and reentry services designed to meet the specific needs of women. Specialized programs such as the Veterans Justice Outreach Initiative and Espiritu Latino further address the unique needs of specific subgroups. A two-year program review was conducted, assessing outcomes in healthcare access, mental health support, addiction treatment, and employment opportunities.

The program demonstrates substantial improvements in participants’ overall wellness:

1. Increased healthcare access and utilization.

2. Enhanced mental health support and addiction treatment services.

3. Improved employment opportunities and housing stability. Additionally, subgroup-specific initiatives showed effectiveness in addressing unique needs, contributing to reduced recidivism rates across New Jersey.

The NJRC Women’s Project serves as a model for addressing previously incarcerated women’s complex healthcare and reentry needs. Continued investment in such tailored services effectively provides essential support for successful reintegration and further reduces recidivism rates.