Adults under community corrections supervision and who have a mental illness (MI) are expected to comply with conditions of release which often include involvement with supportive social services. The rates of technical violation, arrest, and incarceration that result from failure to comply with these mandates are exceedingly high. Shared decision making among officer-supervisors and client-supervisees is a promising approach to promote engagement in community corrections services among supervisees who have MI. This paper reviews recent research on shared decision making and identifies three barriers to its implementation in this context: (1) a lack of role clarity, (2) a predilection for risk avoidance, and (3) stigma toward supervisees. Empirically supported recommendations are suggested to aid in overcoming these obstacles, facilitate shared decision making, and promote recovery among this population: (1) unification of supervisor rehabilitative and public safety roles, (2) maximizing opportunities for self-determination through low-stakes events and/or enhancement of supervisee strengths and capabilities, and (3) supervisor training in principles of mental health recovery.

Challenges to Employing Shared Decision Making With Adults Under Community Supervision Who Have a Mental Illness.

Women involved in the criminal legal (CL) system in the United States have much higher levels of chronic and infectious illness than women in the general population. Over 80% of women in the CL system are on community supervision, which means they receive health care in community settings. While the use of Emergency Department care among CL involved populations has been examined fairly extensively, less is known about engagement in routine and preventive medical care among people on community supervision.We conducted a longitudinal study of health care utilization among women with Medicaid who were currently or previously sentenced to probation in Alameda County, CA (N = 328). At baseline, 6- and 12-months, we interviewed participants about every medical care visit in the six months prior, and about potential influences on health care utilization based on the Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations (BMVP). Associations between BMVP factors and utilization of routine or preventive care were estimated using Poisson regression models with robust standard errors. Generalized estimating equations (GEE) were used account for repeated measures over time.A diagnosis of one or more chronic illnesses was reported by 82% of participants. Two-thirds (62%) of women engaged in routine or preventive care in the six months prior to interview. A quarter of women engaging in routine or preventive care did not have a primary care provider (PCP). Having a PCP doubled the likelihood of using routine or preventive care (adjusted Relative Risk [adjRR] 2.27, p < 0.001). Subsistence difficulty (adjRR 0.74, p = 0.01) and unmet mental health care need (adjRR 0.83, p = 0.001) were associated with a lower likelihood of using routine or preventive care.Findings underscore the importance of meeting the basic needs of women on community supervision and of connecting them with primary health care providers. 

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Routine and preventive health care use in the community among women sentenced to probation

There is limited knowledge regarding precipitating factors associated with suicidality among persons on parole. Pairing the suicide ideation-to-action framework and stress process theory, the present study aimed to characterize sources of major stress (drug use, physical health, and mental health) and their associations to suicide ideation, planning, and attempt among a national sample of persons on parole. This study included a subsample of persons on parole (N = 1725) using pooled national data from the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (2015-2019). A series of logistic regression results indicate that various drug use, physical health, and mental health factors significantly influenced all three suicidality measures. Due to this population's unique experiences and numerous barriers following release from prison, it is essential to personalize interventions geared toward this population to meet their specific needs and address suicidality based on where they fall on this continuum. 

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Applying the Stress Process Theory to Assess Correlates of Suicide Ideation-to-Action Among Persons on Parole in the United States

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Juvenile delinquency is an issue that has impacted the criminal justice system and other social institutions. Subsequently, studies have been conducted to determine whether organizational-based extracurricular activities prevent juvenile delinquency. Scholarship has, however, produced mixed results. Some scholars argue that extracurricular activities keep juveniles busy throughout the year. Thus, preventing juveniles from participating in delinquent acts. In contrast, other scholars have found that juveniles involved in extracurricular activities, such as sports-based activities, have not had the intended effect. This chapter aims to examine inner-city youth programs (ICYPs). More specifically, a detailed examination of multiple program types will be discussed. The intended purpose of this chapter is to inform interested parties so they can have a better understanding of the impact these programs have on the daily lives of juveniles and communities. The net result is to help advocate for refined individual- and institutional-based practices moving forward. 

Inner-City Youth Programs

This study analyzes the effect of arrest and community supervision on mental health and mental health care using a U.S.-based nationally representative data from National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) and Behavioral Model for Vulnerable Populations. It conducts a bivariate analysis to estimate population prevalence rates and generalized structural equation modeling (GSEM) to test the conceptual model. Individuals who were recently arrested or under community supervision (probation/parole) are more likely to use treatment (medication, inpatient, and outpatient care) for mental health problems compared with those with no CJ contact. However, there still remains a large unmet need. Overall, people with mental illness may be accessing mental health treatment through their involvement with the CJ system more broadly. There is the need for multiple societal institutions to work in tandem and communicate with vulnerable individuals who experience CJ contact to further assess appropriate assistance and mental health treatment.

Mental Illness and Mental Health Care Treatment among People with Criminal Justice Involvement in the United States.

Little is known about the role of subcultural values in the development of violence in schools and among school-aged children. Drawing on the “code of the street” thesis, which identifies schools as important staging grounds in the campaign for respect among young people, this study aims to fill this gap in the literature by analyzing student- and school-level associations between projected violence and self-reported subcultural values revolving around toughness and respect. The analytic sample includes N = 1767 students (53.65% female) in grades 7, 8, and 9 (ages 11–17 years, mean = 13.5 years) at 40 middle and high schools in Boston, MA, Denver, CO, and Miami, FL. Consistent with research involving a variety of adolescent and young adult populations, estimates from multilevel negative binomial regression models reveal a robust positive student-level association between personal adherence to subcultural values and projected violence. However, school-level results indicate a compositional, rather than contextual, effect in which higher school-mean levels of projected violence reflect the aggregate values of individual students rather than independent or interactive processes involving the school-level prevalence of code of the street values. Thus, while code of the street values may be important contributors to youth violence, the school setting appears to play a limited role in transmitting their influence among students.

Anastasiia Timmer

Papers

Mental Illness and Mental Health Care Treatment among People with Criminal Justice Involvement in the United States.

Schools, Subcultural Values, and the Risk of Youth Violence: The Influence of the Code of the Street among Students in Three U.S. Cities.