
Reintegration of individuals with mental illnesses into everyday community life following incarceration is a major issue affecting every municipality and state around the country. The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals with Psychiatric Disabilities was asked by Philadelphia City Council to provide suggestions for how this complex and urgent issue could best be addressed. Key stakeholders in the field were identified, including individuals with mental health conditions who had left jails and prisons, and asked to offer their opinions about the most significant barriers during the reentry transition. Information from these conversations led to a city council investigatory hearing on the issue. Â These activities resulted in thirteen recommendations that are briefly described in this document. The intention of this document is to share these recommendations with others as well as describe a process that could be used in other cities and states to identify similar recommendations that meet local circumstances and that raise the importance of community reentry and inclusion in the eyes of local governments.