Health Care for Ex-Prisoners

Inmate Colette Monahan waits to be released from the Utah State Prison in Draper last July. Utah passed a measure this year cutting probation time for prisoners who get treatment for mental illness and substance abuse after they are released. (AP)

Joe Calderon faced uncomfortably high odds of dying after his release from a California prison in 2010. According to one study, his chances of dying within two weeks — especially from a drug overdose, heart disease, homicide or suicide — were nearly 13 times greater than for a person who had never been incarcerated.

Despite suffering from hypertension during his 17 years and three days of incarceration, Calderon was lucky. He stumbled onto a city of San Francisco program that paid for health services for ex-offenders, and he was directed to Transitions Clinic, which provides comprehensive primary care for former prisoners with chronic illnesses. The clinic saw to all his health needs in the months after his release.

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