We test whether significant differences in mental illness exist in a matched sample of Mental illness and the criminal justice system. In T. L. Scheid T. N. Brown (Eds.), A handbook for the study of mental health: Social contexts, theories. Find 9780521567633 A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health : Social Contexts, Theories, and Systems by Horwitz et al at over 30 bookstores. Buy, rent. A review of mental health problems in fathers following the birth of a child. for the study of mental health:Social contexts, theories, and systems (2nd ed., pp.

A Handbook for the Study of Mental Health: Social Contexts, Theories, and Systems

Men and women experience different kinds of mental health problems. While women exceed men in internalizing disorders such as depression and anxiety, men exhibit more externalizing disorders such as substance abuse and antisocial behavior, which are problematic for others. These differences also vary by race and social class: for example, African Americans possess better mental health and, thus, a smaller gender gap in psychiatric problems. What explains these differences? We concentrate on conceptions of gender and gender practices. Research on gender and mental health suggests that conceptions of masculinity and femininity affect major risk factors for internalizing and externalizing problems, including the stressors men and women are exposed to, the coping strategies they use, the social relationships they engage in, and the personal resources and vulnerabilities they develop. This chapter investigates explanations in these areas for gender differences both in general and by race and class.

Gender and mental health.

Objective: In response to the large-scale involvement of people with mental disorders in the criminal justice system, many communities have created specialized mental health courts in recent years. However, little research has been done to evaluate the criminal justice outcomes of such courts. This study evaluated whether a mental health court can reduce the risk of recidivism and violence by people with mental disorders who have been arrested. Method: A retrospective observational design was used to compare the occurrence of new criminal charges for 170 people who entered a mental health court after arrest and 8,067 other adults with mental disorders who were booked into an urban county jail after arrest during the same interval. A matching strategy based on propensity scores was used to adjust analyses for nonrandom selection into mental health court. Results: Propensity-weighted Cox regression analysis, controlling for other potential confounding variables (demographic characteristics, clinical variables, and criminal history), showed that participation in the mental health court program was associated with longer time without any new criminal charges or new charges for violent crimes. Successful completion of the mental health court program was associated with maintenance of reductions in recidivism and violence after graduates were no longer under supervision of the mental health court. Conclusions: The results indicate that a mental health court can reduce recidivism and violence by people with mental disorders who are involved in the criminal justice system.

/pdf/effectiveness-of-a-mental-health-court-in-reducing-criminal-qes1u15vap.pdf

Effectiveness of a Mental Health Court in Reducing Criminal Recidivism and Violence

The chapter addresses the stigma associated with mental illnesses. It begins by summarizing the development of thinking about labeling and stigma over the past half century within the field of the sociology of mental health. This background leads to our consideration of recent advances in the conceptualization of stigma as we ask: What is stigma? How do different stigmatizing circumstances (mental illness, obesity, facial disfigurement) resemble and differ from one another? We also ask: Why do people stigmatize? In keeping with the Handbook’s emphasis on social class and socioeconomic status (SES), we introduce the concept of “stigma power” and apply this new concept to the questions of “What do people gain by stigmatizing others?” and “How is stigma power exercised?” Finally, we consider the steps people take to avoid, mitigate, or overcome stigma, drawing in particular on Thoits’ (Soc Psychol Q 74:6–28, 2011) theoretical statements about this issue. The conceptual growth that has taken place over time opens enormous possibilities for advancing the sociological understanding of mental illness stigma and by doing so helps to illuminate ways in which the effects of stigma might be mitigated.

Labeling and Stigma

CONTEXT: Mental health courts are growing in popularity as a form of jail diversion for justice system-involved people with serious mental illness This is the first prospective multisite study on mental health courts with treatment and control groups OBJECTIVES: To determine if participation in a mental health court is associated with more favorable criminal justice outcomes than processing through the regular criminal court system and to identify defendants for whom mental health courts produce the most favorable criminal justice outcomes DESIGN: Longitudinal study SETTING: Four mental health courts in San Francisco County, CA, Santa Clara County, CA, Hennepin County (Minneapolis), MN, and Marion County (Indianapolis), IN PARTICIPANTS: A total 447 persons in the mental health court (MHC) and 600 treatment-as-usual (TAU) controls Intervention Eighteen months of pre-entry and postentry data for 4 jurisdictions All subjects were interviewed at baseline, and 70% were interviewed at 6 months Objective outcome data were obtained on all subjects from Federal Bureau of Investigation arrest records, jails, prisons, and community treatment providers MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Annualized rearrest rates, number of rearrests, and postentry incarceration days RESULTS: The MHC and TAU samples are similar on the major outcome measures in the pre-entry 18-month period In the 18 months following treatment, defined as entry into mental health court, the MHC group has a lower annualized rearrest rate, fewer post-18-month arrests, and fewer post-18-month incarceration days than the TAU group The MHC graduates had lower rearrest rates than participants whose participation was terminated both during MHC supervision and after supervision ended Factors associated with better outcomes among the MHC participants include lower pre-18-month arrests and incarceration days, treatment at baseline, not using illegal substances, and a diagnosis of bipolar disorder rather than schizophrenia or depression CONCLUSIONS: Mental health courts meet the public safety objectives of lowering posttreatment arrest rates and days of incarceration Both clinical and criminal justice factors are associated with better public safety outcomes for MHC participants Language: en

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jamapsychiatry/articlepdf/211027/yoa05056_167_172.pdf

Effect of Mental Health Courts on Arrests and Jail Days: A Multisite Study

OBJECTIVE: This study examined rearrest and linkage to mental health services among 368 misdemeanants with severe and persistent mental illness who were served by the Clark County Mental Health Court (MHC). This court, established in April 2000, is based on the concepts of therapeutic jurisprudence. This study addressed the following questions about the effectiveness of the Clark County MHC: Did MHC clients receive more comprehensive mental health services? Did the MHC successfully reduce recidivism? Were there any client or program characteristics associated with recidivism? METHODS: A secondary analysis of use of mental health services and jail data for the MHC clients enrolled from April 2000 through April 2003 was conducted. The authors used a 12-month pre-post comparison design to determine whether MHC participants experienced reduced rearrest rates for new offenses, reduced probation violations, and increased mental health services 12 months postenrollment in the MHC compared with 12 months preenrol...

https://ps.psychiatryonline.org/doi/pdfplus/10.1176/appi.ps.56.7.853

Steve King

Papers

Rearrest and Linkage to Mental Health Services Among Clients of the Clark County Mental Health Court Program