When Survival Comes First: Mental Health After Reentry

When someone returns home after incarceration, they step back into a world full of expectations, responsibilities, and pressures- many of them urgent. The transition demands time, energy, and emotional labor, and the weight of these demands often pushes mental health to the bottom of the priority list. It’s not that people don’t care about their mental well-being; it’s that survival comes first.

Reentry is complex. In the first days, weeks, and months, people must secure identification, enroll in essential benefits, find work, obtain housing, reconnect with family, and comply with the conditions of supervision. Every task carries its own urgency. Missing a deadline or appointment can mean losing opportunities or facing penalties. When someone is trying to rebuild their life under constant pressure, therapy can feel like something they’ll “get to eventually,” even when they know they need it.

Financial strain adds another layer. Many people leave incarceration without savings, employment, or stable income. In this context, daily necessities- food, transportation, clothing, phone access- take precedence. Even if low-cost or free therapy exists, the time commitment alone can feel impossible when someone is juggling multiple jobs, mandatory meetings, and the day-to-day realities of reentry.

There is also the emotional weight of starting over. People often carry trauma from incarceration, family separation, violence, and instability. But addressing these feelings requires space- space to slow down, reflect, and be vulnerable. For someone who is constantly in survival mode, vulnerability can feel unsafe. Many learn to compartmentalize just to get through the day. Therapy, which asks people to open up emotionally, can feel too overwhelming when the rest of life is demanding so much at once.

Additionally, people often want to show their families and communities that they are strong and capable. After incarceration, many feel pressure to “prove” themselves by working hard, staying busy, or appearing stable. Admitting they need support, even to themselves, can feel like a setback instead of a step toward healing. This pressure is especially heavy for black and brown men who have been taught to suppress pain and push forward regardless of what they’re carrying inside.

Yet the need for mental health support during reentry is real. The transition is filled with triggers, stressors, and reminders of past trauma. When these go unaddressed, they can build up over time, affecting relationships, employment, decision-making, and long-term stability.

Supporting mental health during reentry means acknowledging the realities people face and offering flexible, culturally grounded, nonjudgmental care. It means bringing services to where people already are, reducing barriers to access, and validating the competing priorities they’re navigating.

Healing doesn’t have to wait, but it must be accessible, responsive, and built around the real lives of people finding their footing again.