Perception of Community Reintegration From Correctional and Psychiatric Settings

Objective: This research investigated how adult participants (N = 155) view individuals who are reintegrating to society. Methods: Participants were undergraduate students from a program for working adults who evaluated a reintegration scenario. The types of reintegration were based on a fictitious scenario describing either a person who is new to your neighborhood or workplace (a control condition), reintegrating following psychiatric hospitalization, reintegrating following release from a correctional facility, or reintegrating following release from a forensic psychiatric facility. Results: People reintegrating from corrections, psychiatric, and forensic/psychiatric facilities were perceived more negatively than individuals without forensic/psychiatric histories. Additionally, individuals reintegrating from such facilities were more welcomed in workplace than neighborhood settings. Limitations: This study used short, fictitious vignettes, which might not represent true societal interactions. Future research should seek larger and more diverse samples. Conclusions and Implications: Methods to reduce stigma for individuals with mental illness and criminal history are an important component of community integration, and communities in which individuals will live should be increasingly targeted in such interventions.