A disproportionate number of people in jails and prisons have chronic medical or behavioral health conditions. When people leave jail, it’s a unique moment to connect them to services in the community that they may not have known about before.
A team of social workers at Public Health – Seattle & King County works with people who will be released from jail to link them to vital services, ensuring people receive the care, medications and support they need to make a smooth transition from incarceration to the community.
Maliha is a social worker in the Release Planning Program. For this Portrait of Public Health, we asked her about her experiences working with people with a range of health conditions as they transition out of incarceration.
Maliha, what’s your role as a social worker when people leave the jail?
I work with people who have chronic health conditions such as diabetes, substance use disorders, hypertension, developmental disabilities or cognitive impairment such as dementia.
I think of myself as an educator of systems. I work very closely with the individual and their medical providers in the jail to determine patient needs such as housing, transportation, access to medical care or mental health providers. I ensure patient needs are addressed by reducing barriers to care and providing a warm handoff to services.
I think about how I can take care of the whole person so they can access all available services in the community.
Are there moments that are particularly meaningful about your work?
A meaningful moment for me is when I walk alongside the individual and meet them where they are in their recovery journey. I love connecting people to resources out in the community. For example, some individuals with chronic conditions may be concerned about how they will get the treatment or care they need once they leave jail. I let them know that we have community health workers to connect them with more services in the community. The community health workers sometimes even walk people directly to support services such as the new Orca Center that can help people continue with treatment for substance use.
What do you think makes you good at your job?
I’m well-rounded and stand up for the needs of my clients. I listen to my patient needs and focus on what they are telling me. I try and be sensitive to cultural differences and I also speak five languages.
Sometimes, someone will recognize me years later if I’m out and about and I’ve heard some funny nicknames over the years. One client who I helped connect with health insurance ran into me one day, waved and said, “Hi Benefit!”
What would surprise people about your work?
From my experience, people may not know there’s a public health clinic inside the King County Correctional Facility. I remind people that I work in a healthcare facility with patients who have many of the same needs as people receiving care in the community.
More information
Learn more about Public Health’s Jail Health Services and the Release Planning Program
Originally posted on July 21, 2026.
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