The Moment of Release: Rehabilitating Substance Use Disorder After Incarceration
Sharlee Dixon and Dr. Joshua Hall examine what it truly takes to rehabilitate substance use disorder at the moment people leave incarceration, when the risk of
By Sharlee R. Dixon, LMSW, Behavioral Health Today and Dr. Joshua Hall, FAOAAM | January 13, 2026
Sharlee and Dr. Hall examine what it truly takes to rehabilitate substance use disorder at the moment people leave incarceration, when the risk of overdose and recidivism is highest.
Dr. Hall is the Medical Director and Senior Quality Officer at Crossroads Treatment Center and Chief Medical Officer at The Phoenix Center in South Carolina and shares insights into South Carolina’s innovative soft re-entry model, a program that begins engagement during incarceration and continues seamlessly after release. The approach combines medication-assisted treatment, peer support, and continuity of care to intercept relapse, reduce recidivism, and support long-term stability.
Together, Sharlee and Dr. Hall explore why the weeks following release are the most dangerous, and the most powerful, window for change, and how treating addiction as a medical condition, not a moral failure, can transform lives, families, and communities.