Affordable Care Act Effect on the Criminal Justice System

July 25, 2013

On March 23, 2010 President Barack Obama signed into law the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (PPACA), more commonly known as the Affordable Care Act (ACA).  Since this time there has been great speculation on how implementation would impact not only the many uninsured; but how access to health care services would impact our criminal justice system.  With an estimated 14 percent of men and 31 percent of women in jail and state prison suffering from chronic and persistent mental illness and an even higher percentage with a diagnosable substance abuse disorder; the scope of the problem and intersection between criminal justice and behavioral health systems is well understood. Despite this, individual offenders and criminal justice systems have never had the treatment resources available to access intensive in/outpatient treatment, treatment alternatives to incineration or the medically tailored reentry services needed to improve personal and public safety outcomes.  

On July 29, 2013, NAPO will participate in the following webinar:  On Expanding Treatment: How the Affordable Care Act Can Impact Criminal Justice Systems.  The presentation will examine how the expansion of Medicaid and creation of insurance exchanges may impact state and local criminal justice systems. Presenters will also describe state and local planning efforts currently underway in Illinois to leverage these new resources to reduce recidivism and build public safety.  

NAPO will provide its members with a full de-brief of the webinar next week.  In the interim, if you have any questions, please contact Melissa Nee at:  mnee@napo.org.

Source:

"Webinar- The Affordable Care Act's Impact on Criminal Justice." Message to the author. 24 July 2013. E-mail.