As a correctional social worker, you play a critical role in helping formerly incarcerated individuals successfully reintegrate into society after their release from prison. Through rehabilitation programs and supportive services, you empower these individuals to become productive members of their communities and reduce the likelihood that they reoffend and return to the criminal justice system. This guide explores your vital position in the reentry and rehabilitation process. What Is a Correctional Social Worker? A correctional social worker, also referred to as a forensic social worker or prison social worker, provides rehabilitative and social services to incarcerated individuals. As a correctional social worker, you evaluate prisoners' physical health, mental health, substance abuse issues, educational backgrounds, vocational skills, social histories, and other biopsychosocial factors. These factors may impact their ability to function within and adapt to the community after release. Based on your assessments, you develop comprehensive treatment plans that aim to build life skills, address behavioral disorders, facilitate access to community resources, and foster interpersonal skills. By identifying and treating underlying issues, you place prisoners on an optimal path to reenter society successfully without recidivism. In addition, you act as a prisoner's link between prison and outside services. You refer them to various external services, such as housing assistance, vocational training, healthcare, counseling, or employment services catered to assisting formerly incarcerated individuals. As prisoners near their release dates, you also collaborate with probation and parole departments to coordinate supervision and critical resources needed for each person's situation post-release. Overall, you provide diagnoses and interventions through ongoing case management from intake to discharge. Your goal is to equip those in the correctional system with the tools to handle real-world challenges productively and independently when they leave prison. How Do Correctional Social Workers Help With Reentry? The transition from prison back into the community, known as reentry or prisoner reentry, can be exceptionally difficult for formerly incarcerated persons. Individuals leaving correctional facilities often wrestle with various reintegration barriers—from finding housing and employment to reconnecting with family to managing substance abuse or mental health challenges. As a correctional social worker, you play a key role in the reentry planning process and in assisting returning citizens overcome obstacles. Your responsibilities regarding successful prisoner reentry include: Make Support Services Referrals Based on Health Assessments A major part of your position involves evaluating individuals' physical health, mental health conditions, education, vocations, family backgrounds, and prison records. Through your assessments, you identify conditions, such as mental health disorders, substance addictions, or lack of work skills, that may hinder their transition or lead to repeat offenses. Based on your findings, you provide referrals to community resources, rehabilitation programs, or health professionals that suit each person's treatment plan. For instance, you may refer someone with bipolar disorder to specialized counseling or an ex-prisoner with no high school diploma to adult education classes. Referring former prisoners to targeted services facilitates progress in their problem areas and sets them up for stability outside prison.