Since 2018, the Camden County Correctional Facility has embarked on several innovative approaches to supporting reentry and reducing recidivism throughout the county. These efforts include addressing root causes of incarceration like untreated substance use disorder, providing peer support specialists, and an overall holistic approach designed to successfully transition individuals out of the facility and back into society. An independent evaluation by the Camden Coalition has found that program participation was associated with reductions in reincarceration and emergency department visits in the months following release from incarceration.
This evaluation was conducted at a time when the Camden County Correctional Facility has reduced the incarcerated population by almost 60% in the last 15 years. Previously, the facility’s population was more than double what it is today.
This study, takes an innovative mixed model approach, bringing together data from diverse sources including state overdose surveillance data, integrated jail administrative data, the Camden Coalition Health Information Exchange, program case management records, and Medication for Opioid Use Disorder (MOUD) program data, encompassing incarcerations that occurred from October 2022 through September 2024. During this time, 9,715 individuals were booked into the Camden County Correctional Facility, and 382 enrolled in the Peer Support and Reentry Program, many of whom were also concurrently participating in the MOUD program.
The evaluation found that program participants had significantly lower rates of reincarceration after release, which continued to decline in the following year. While emergency department use increased shortly after release – a pattern commonly seen during the transition back to community – ED utilization steadily declined over the next 12 months.
A summary of the 144-page report is available for review at
camdenhealth.org/resources/p…
Read more:
camdencounty.com/independent…