Stress, Substance Use, and Yoga in the Context of Community Reentry Following Incarceration

Abstract

This field report provides a rationale for the potential of yoga to support reductions in stress and substance use among people returning to the community from jail or prison and describes an agency-based example of yoga classes offered in this context. People who have recently experienced incarceration face a multitude of stressors, which can heighten the risk of substance use and support the need to address stress reduction as a pathway to reduced substance use. One promising intervention is yoga, which has demonstrated significant stress-reduction effects among several populations. Feedback from participants in this field report's practice example reinforces the potential for yoga to decrease stress and complement substance use treatment in supporting health during the transition from incarceration to community return. Further scholarship is needed to explore the benefits and limitations of yoga in this context.

Transitions from jail to rural community for adults with mental illness

“…Rural communities, compared to nonrural areas, have historically higher rates of uninsured individuals, contributing to barriers in accessing mental and physical health services and medication management (Probst et al., 2019). Additionally, pockets of isolation are created in rural communities that lack services for mental health care, physical health, peer navigation, transitional housing, and transportation (Probst et al., 2019; Trotter et al., 2018), a situation that increases risk and stress for adults with mental illness during transition from jail to rural community (Rohrer & Stratton, 2017; Visher & Bakken, 2014; Wimberly & Engstrom, 2017). Limited research (Keesler et al., 2020; Wodahl, 2006) to date has explored the challenges experienced during transition from jail to rural community for persons who experience mental illness.…”