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COVID-19 Survivor Impact Briefs 
People with Incarceration Histories

The National Resource Center for Reaching Victims conducted a series of 
listening sessions to unearth the impact the COVID-19 health crisis is 
having on underserved victims of crime and better resource the crime 
victim services field to respond to those needs. 

This brief summarizes the issues and strategies that emerged from 
listening sessions on survivors with incarceration histories. 

Introduction 

Incarcerated and formerly incarcerated people are at high risk for contracting the coronavirus 
and often have little or no access to reliable and consistent health care services. The health 
risks coupled with the challenge of practicing social distancing in jails and prisons have led 
correctional facilities around the country, particularly local jails, to accelerate releases. In many 
cases, however, people are returning home to the challenging, new reality of life during a 
global pandemic with very little access to the supportive services they might normally get during 
their reentry period (e.g., assistance with housing, employment, and transportation). Accessing 
healing services—often difficult under normal circumstances—appears to be even more 
challenging, as most providers have shifted to remote service provision, and not all survivors 
have access to reliable technology to avail themselves of remote services. The good news is 
that reentry and victim service providers are coming together to name the needs and 
challenges they are seeing in this population of survivors, exchange ideas, and find creative 
solutions. This brief explores some of those needs and creative solutions shared during listening 
sessions, strategy sessions, and conversations with survivors. 

National Resource Center for Reaching Victims logo (helping those who help others) and Vera Institute of Justice Logo

The COVID-19 health crisis is compounding the traumaexperienced by incarcerated and formerly incarcerated survivorsand limiting opportunities for safety and stability. 



Service providers—many with lived experience of victimization and incarceration—are 
seeing higher levels of stress and anxiety among the people they serve. With the resources 
they have, they are striving to bolster behavioral health services and case management, 
so they can meet the needs of their clients. Some are also trying to create or take 
advantage of existing online communities that can provide peer support and ideas for 
how to help clients during this uncertain time. 


For people returning home, part of their trauma and anxiety is connected to a lack of safe 
housing. Victim service providers who work with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated 
people are deeply concerned about the lack of options for safe housing, particularly for 
formerly incarcerated survivors of domestic and sexual violence. Many fear that these 
survivors are being forced to return to their abusers because of challenges in accessing 
shelter systems during the pandemic. Some providers are trying to think creatively about 
how to support clients with safe housing in places like motels. Others are trying to 
maintain some contact with clients, even those who are homeless, by using masks and 
visiting them to provide gift cards for food and hygiene products. 


Reentry and victim service providers are facing increased barriersto reaching and communicating with survivors; yet many aredeveloping creative solutions. 

Service providers who work with incarcerated and formerly incarcerated survivors are 
having a difficult time making and maintaining contact with their clients. Because of 
various lockdowns in correctional facilities due to COVID-19, some rape crisis programs 
have reported a dramatic decline in hotline calls from jails and prisons. Others have 
observed that people leaving facilities, particularly jails, are being released without 
adequate access to services, including services that support housing and health care. 





April 2020 




Many programs that work inside facilities are pivoting to sending letters and coursework 
by mail while in-person visits and programming are suspended. This includes working with 
facilities to distribute games, puzzles, and information about victim services to 
incarcerated people (including phone numbers), so people know that the providers are 
still there and care about them. Some advocates, however, fear that mail correspondence 
to people in jail and prison has compromised confidentiality. 


Many community-based organizations have shifted to offering services remotely. Some 
have developed creative outreach strategies like posting information about services on 
bulletin boards at local grocery stores. Some rape crisis centers and other programs have 
also set up new hotlines and have started providing services by phone that are typically 
provided in person (e.g., advocates supporting survivors by phone before and after a 
sexual assault medical forensic exam). 


Although a lot of service providers have rapidly transitioned to providing services 
remotely, many formerly incarcerated people do not have the necessary technology 
and/or lack cell and internet service to benefit from remote services. To address these 
needs, some providers are working with nonprofits and/or government partners to get cell 
phones and phone numbers of service providers in the hands of people coming home. 


Service providers who are used to working with their clients inperson may need support to transition to virtual service provision. 

Most service providers are used to providing in-person support to survivors. They may need 
help in shifting to using video conferencing or the phone to support their clients. 

Many practitioners who run programs have been working hard to support staff through 
this health crisis, connecting regularly for team meetings, and making sure staff have the 
tools they need to provide services virtually. 

April 2020 


About the National Resource Center for Reaching Victims 

The National Resource Center for Reaching Victims (NRC) is a clearinghouse for victim 
service providers, culturally specific organizations, criminal justice professionals, and 
policymakers to get information and expert guidance to enhance their capacity to identify, 
reach, and serve all victims, especially those from communities that are underrepresented in 
healing services and avenues to justice. For more information about the NRC, visit the NRC’s 
website at http://reachingvictims.org. 

About the Vera Institue of Justice, Center on Victimization and Safety 

The Vera Institute of Justice’s Center on Victimization and Safety convenes the National 
Resource Center for Reaching Victims and provides leadership and staffing around the 
NRC's work to center survivors with incarceration histories. The Center on Victimization and 
Safety works with communities around the country to create healing services and justice 
options that reach, appeal to, and benefit all survivors. Our work focuses on communities of 
people who are at elevated risk of harm but often marginalized from the organizations and 
systems designed to support victims. For more information on the Center on Victimization 
and Safety, please contact cvs@vera.org. 

This resource was produced by the Vera Institute of Justice under award #2016 XV GX K015, awarded by 
the Office for Victims of Crime, Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, 
findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this (insert type of product) are those of the 
contributors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the 

U.S. Department of Justice. 

April 2020