ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: People with intellectual disabilities, if convicted of offences, may be sentenced to prison, but little is known about their life when they are released. METHOD: This study followed up men with intellectual disabilities who were leaving prisons in England. RESULTS: The men were hard to contact, but 38 men were interviewed, on average 10 weeks after leaving prison. The men were living in a variety of situations and often were very under-occupied, with limited social networks. A total of 70% were above the clinical cut-off for anxiety, and 59.5% were above the clinical cut-off for depression. The men were receiving little support in the community, and many had been reinterviewed by police. CONCLUSIONS: Community teams need to provide better support to this very vulnerable group.
