Formerly Incarcerated Black Women Navigate a Complex Path to Recovery

Research by Dr. Yomi Paseda explores the experiences of Black women who were recently incarcerated and then discharged from psychiatric hospitalization. The findings reveal how the intersections of race, gender, incarceration, and serious mental illness create unique barriers to substance use and mental health treatment, especially in the form of stigma, mistrust, and systemic failures in care coordination. The study calls for culturally responsive, trauma-informed interventions and stronger community-based support systems to improve engagement and outcomes for this underserved population.