Criminal Justice Coordinated Transitional Care

Health Systems Innovations for Supporting Transitions of Care for Incarcerated People Living With HIV, Hepatitis C, and Substance Use Disorder

This project aims to enroll 220 incarcerated individuals living with HIV, Hepatitis C (HCV), or history of substance misuse preparing for release into a pilot implementation study to test the feasibility and acceptability of an adapted Coordinated Transitional Care intervention in a Criminal Justice setting (CJC-TraC). Participants can expect to be on study for up to 6 months.

This protocol describes the second, implementation phase of a 5-year NIH-funded research project designed to evaluate post-incarceration health care utilization and outcomes for underserved people living with HIV, HCV and substance use disorder.

In the first study phase, conducted from 2020-21, the investigators analyzed Wisconsin Medicaid data to characterize the baseline level of outpatient care utilization for adults during their first 6 months after release from prison, and conducted formative research necessary to adapt an existing transitional care intervention, called C-TraC, to support individuals leaving prison.

The current project aims to enroll participants in a pilot implementation study to test the feasibility and acceptability of the adapted intervention in a criminal justice setting, which has been given the name "CJC-TraC."

Participants will be enrolled from one of two institutions:

• men from Oakhill Correctional Institute (OCI)
• women from the Wisconsin Women's Correctional System (WWCS)

Primary Objectives: To evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of CJC-TraC when implemented in a state prison system.

Secondary Objectives: To gather preliminary evidence describing the effectiveness of CJC-TraC for improving the rate of outpatient care utilization.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Able to understand and speak in English
• Plans to reside in Wisconsin after release
• Eligible for Wisconsin Medicaid and willing to enroll prior to release
• Has a history of one or more of the following: current HIV infection, current or past HCV infection, identified need for substance use related services based on Correctional Offender Management Profiling for Alternative Sanctions (COMPAS) assessment
• Anticipated release date (must be within 6 months of review)

Exclusion Criteria:

• Unable to provide informed consent form or impaired ability to make decisions
• Planned discharge to another correctional facility or other carceral setting (e.g. release to jail or immigration detention center)