Episode 293 | Just Navigating Reentry using Peer Support
Original Release Date: July 19, 2024
In episode five of our Community-based Solutions for Substance Use Challenges season, Just Science sits down with Dr. Nicole Swiderski, New Jersey Path to Recovery Grant Manager, and Jass Pelland, New Jersey Path to Recovery Program Manager, to discuss how the New Jersey State Parole Board’s 2021 Comprehensive Opioid, Stimulant, and Substance Use Program award is supporting peer recovery and other services that help individuals with a substance use disorder navigate reentering the community after release from prison.
Those who are reentering the community after being released from prison can face a myriad of challenges, including navigating community supervision requirements, finding housing and treatment services, and facing an increased risk of drug overdose. In response to these challenges, the New Jersey State Parole Board has created the Path to Recovery Program, where peer health navigators partner with parole officers to help guide participants through the difficult reentry process. Listen along as Dr. Swiderski and Jass discuss why they decided to implement a peer-led initiative in the state of New Jersey, what barriers they faced when planning and implementing the program, and how Path to Recovery has made a positive impact both in the lives of individuals and for their state a whole.
This Just Science season is supported, in part, by RTI Award No. 15PNIJ-21-GK-02192-MUMU, awarded by the National Institute of Justice, and by RTI Award No. 15PBJA-23-GK-02250-COAP, awarded by the Bureau of Justice Assistance. Both are agencies within the Office of Justice Programs, U.S. Department of Justice. The opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this podcast season do not necessarily reflect those of the Department of Justice.
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Episode Citation
Mullen, L., Swiderski, N., & Pelland, J. (July 19,2024). Just Science. Just Navigating Reentry using Peer Support. [Audio podcast episode]. National Institute of Justice’s Forensic Technology Center of Excellence. https://forensiccoe.org/podcast-2024-cossup-ep5/
Guest Biography
Dr. Nicole Swiderski is the Manager of the Community Affairs Unit at the New Jersey State Parole Board, which consists of research, grants, internships, contracted community programs, access to reentry services, and the agency’s Public Information Office (with Dr. Swiderski acting as the Public Information Officer). She serves as lead researcher and grant program manager of the agency’s FY 21 COSSUP Award, and previously served as a research assistant for the NJSPB’s Second Chance Act Reentry Program and research consultant to evaluate the effectiveness of the LSI-R in predicting supervised offender recidivism. Dr. Swiderski is dedicated to interdisciplinary research, particularly at the intersection of criminal justice and psychology. Her primary lines of research include offender reentry, cognitive consequences of victimization, domestic violence and sports, and media and crime. Dr. Swiderski is the Registered Agent, Treasurer, and Board Member of The LINDA Organization, which helps justice-involved women struggling with homelessness, mental health, and/or substance use regain their freedom and redefine their future. She is also on the Board of Trustees in an At-Large capacity of the Middle Atlantic States Correctional Association. In addition to her work at the NJSPB, Dr. Swiderski teaches as an adjunct professor at several New Jersey colleges and universities. She has published articles in several interdisciplinary journals, and recently co-authored a book, Crime in TV, the News, and Film: Misconceptions, Mischaracterizations, and Misinformation, published by Rowman & Littlefield.
Jass Pelland is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and a Licensed Clinical Alcohol and Drug Counselor. She has worked over 37 years in the addiction and mental health field. She is currently a Program Manager for the Supporting the Path to Recovery peer program at Rutgers UBHC Community Support Services. Prior to coming to Rutgers, she spent 15 years as a Clinical Director of an intensive outpatient and outpatient program in Flemington, NJ. Jass has taught workshops on various topics related to peer support, addiction, and mental health for the Center of Addiction Studies, the Institute of Chemical Dependency, and the Administrative Office of the Courts to name a few. She was a Clinical Supervisor consultant for the Administrative Office of the Courts in New Jersey for 12 years and does clinical work for the Intensive Supervision also within the AOC in the State of New Jersey. She served 4 years as President of the Professional Advisory Committee for the Division of Mental Health and Addiction Services for the State of NJ and has been a member since 2008. She is on the Executive Board for the New Jersey Coalition for Addiction Recovery Support. She is a current member of NASW-NJ.