Peer Support for Individuals Reentering the Community After Incarceration: A Scoping Review
We are excited to share a scoping review (Peer support services for individuals with health-related needs reentering the community after incarceration: a scoping review of program elements and outcome, https://healthandjusticejournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40352-025-00358-0) published by Peter Treitler (Rutgers Institute for Health, Health Care, Policy, and Aging Research), Vincent DiGioia-Laird (CAS CAB Board member), and Brooke Long that examined peer support services (PSS) for individuals with health-related needs reentering the community after incarceration. Drawing on 66 studies of 49 programs, the review highlighted the diversity of existing models, which vary by target populations, staffing structures, services offered, settings, and duration.
They found that programs demonstrating effectiveness often incorporated peers with lived experience, participant-centered approaches, strong inter-agency collaboration, and intensive engagement during the critical early stages of reentry. Persistent challenges included recruiting and retaining qualified peer staff, limited outreach capacity, unstable funding, and inconsistent Medicaid reimbursement.
Reported outcomes included improved linkage to care, reductions in substance use and mental health symptoms, decreased recidivism, and stronger engagement in HIV care—though findings were mixed across studies. Many programs were informed by theories such as social learning and experiential knowledge.
Overall, the review emphasized the promise of PSS, underscoring the importance of tailored program design, sustainable funding mechanisms, and continued research into long-term impacts.
Treitler, P., DiGioia-Laird, V. & Long, B. Peer support services for individuals with health-related needs reentering the community after incarceration: a scoping review of program elements and outcomes. Health Justice 13, 51 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1186/s40352-025-00358-0