Key messages

• data on the number of people released from prison with social care needs is extremely limited, with almost no quantified information available
• most literature is descriptive rather than evaluative, with relatively few studies focusing directly on social care following release
• several promising initiatives exist, including pre-release training and buddy or self-referral schemes, but long-term evidence on effectiveness is lacking
• barriers remain around continuity of care, screening and information-sharing between prison and community settings
• policy and research should prioritise evaluation of interventions to improve social care outcomes after release.

Policy implications

• more consistent approaches may be needed to identifying and assessing social care needs before and after release
• stronger continuity of care and information-sharing could reduce gaps during transition
• promising interventions may warrant further development and evaluation before wider adoption.

Gaps

• absence of population-level data on social care needs following prison release
• lack of robust evaluation of interventions and pathways
• limited evidence on specific subgroups, including disabled people, older people and those with complex needs.

Commentary
This review highlights persistent gaps in understanding social care needs among people leaving prison. The lack of reliable data on how many individuals require support, and what that support looks like, limits the ability of systems to plan and commission services equitably at a critical transition point.

The available evidence is largely descriptive, offering limited insight into whether existing approaches improve outcomes. From an equity perspective, this makes it difficult to know which interventions reduce disadvantage and which risk reproducing gaps in access and experience.

Several initiatives, including pre-release skills training and buddy schemes, suggest potential for more person-centred and continuity-focused models of care. These approaches aim to bridge the divide between custodial and community settings, but their long-term impact remains unclear.

Barriers around continuity of care and information-sharing reflect wider structural challenges. These disproportionately affect people with overlapping needs, including physical disabilities or long-term conditions, increasing the risk of unmet need after release.

Improving equity in this area will require stronger evidence on need, outcomes and effectiveness. This includes better data collection, evaluation of interventions and research that reflects the experiences of people leaving prison, to support more responsive and equitable social care pathways.