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AIMS: Many factors affect the utility and practicality of measures in longitudinal studies characterized by transient participants such as those caught in the cycle of incarceration. The current study evaluated the psychometric equivalency of a visual and a verbal version of a single-item connectedness measure; the aim was to determine whether the different formats can be used interchangeably depending on feasibility. METHODS: Participants were 133 jail inmates (49% male; 43% Black; Mage  = 35 years, SD = 10 years) interviewed just before release from jail. RESULTS: Results provide evidence for the concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity of the two ICS versions. Attempts to calibrate the verbal measure to the visual measure were moderately successful. CONCLUSION: Taken together, results suggest the two formats are comparable, but not interchangeable; they map on to other variables in similar ways but cannot be used in lieu of one another.

Incarceration separates individuals from their families and communities, strictly limiting and controlling contact with the outside world. Despite these barriers, those who maintain contact with their families during incarceration tend to function more adaptively postrelease. Within a longitudinal framework, the current study examines mechanisms (i.e., family connectedness, postrelease planning) by which contact with family during incarceration may impact postrelease functioning (i.e., recidivism, substance misuse, mental illness, community functioning), considering differences between type of contact (visits, phone calls, letters) and whether it occurred in a jail or prison setting. Participants included 507 adults incarcerated in a local jail (Mage = 32 years, SD = 10 years; 70% male; 44.3% Black, 36.4% White; 59.5% parents). Structural equation modeling results demonstrated having more frequent contact with family during incarceration predicts increases in family connectedness, which in turn predicts better mental health during the first-year postrelease. Although not related to frequency of contact, making plans for postrelease predicted adaptive community functioning during the first-year postrelease. There were no differences in the overall model based on type of contact or incarceration in a jail versus prison setting. These findings suggest maintaining contact with family during incarceration can facilitate more psychologically healthy adjustment during the stressful process of reentering society. Furthermore, incarcerated individuals should be encouraged to make plans for postrelease while still incarcerated either independently or in collaboration with family. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

This paper highlights current advances and limitations in self-control assessment and suggests several avenues to improve measurement of this construct. We begin by underscoring the importance of assessing self-control capacity as opposed to behavioral outcomes. In addition, we explicitly include in the model an independent consideration of urge intensity (the strength of impulses). Whether one is interested in self-control processes at the state or trait level, in general or with respect to behavior in a specific domain, research questions can be enriched by employing measurement strategies that distinguish among self-control capacity, urge intensity, and outcomes. Such improved assessments can translate into more effective interventions by helping clinicians decide whether to differentially focus on ameliorating urges, enhancing self-control capacity, or both. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Psychology is moving increasingly toward digital sources of data, with Amazon's Mechanical Turk (MTurk) at the forefront of that charge. In 2015, up to an estimated 45% of articles published in the top behavioral and social science journals included at least one study conducted on MTurk. In this article, I summarize my own experience with MTurk and how I deduced that my sample was—at best—only 2.6% valid, by my estimate. I share these results as a warning and call for caution. Recently, I conducted an online study via Amazon's MTurk, eager and excited to collect my own data for the first time as a doctoral student. What resulted has prompted me to write this as a warning: it is indeed too good to be true. This is a summary of how I determined that, at best, I had gathered valid data from 14 human beings—2.6% of my participant sample (N = 529). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rates of multiple episodes of suicide spectrum behaviors are higher among incarcerated individuals than community members. Understanding the trajectory of multiple episodes of suicide spectrum behavior is important for assessment of risk and precautionary measures. We examined escalation in terms of frequency and method among 204 incarcerated individuals who engaged in multiple episodes of serious self-harm. Among those who did not die (n = 191), the interval between suicide spectrum behaviors decreased across incidents and incidents became potentially more lethal over time. Findings indicate that clinicians relying solely on intent to assess seriousness of self-harming behavior might overlook escalation risk. To effectively prevent fatal incidents, clinicians and correctional staff working with incarcerated individuals should incorporate behavioral measures (e.g., time between incidents and method used) and trend these measures over time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Jails bring inmates into proximity with one another and separate them from the community. Because inmates' connectedness to one another and to the community influences post-release functioning, understanding risk factors for maladaptive shifts in connectedness may inform interventions. The current study examined changes in jail inmates' (N = 203) connectedness to the community at large and to the criminal community, and predictors of individual differences in changes over time. Connectedness to both communities did not change on average during incarceration, but younger and less guilt-prone inmates increased more in connectedness to the criminal community than older and more guilt-prone inmates, suggesting connectedness interventions should target individuals exhibiting this constellation of attributes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to identify risk factors distinguishing inmates who attempt suicide from inmates who complete suicide. Compared with attempters, completers tended to be older, male, more educated, and married or separated/divorced; pretrial, committed for a violent crime, incarcerated in jail, housed in an inpatient mental health unit or protective custody setting, living in a single cell, not on suicide precautions, not previously under close observation; and more likely to act during overnight hours and die by hanging/self-strangulation. Targeted assessment of a broad range of risk factors is necessary to inform suicide prevention efforts in correctional facilities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Is the relationship between criminal thinking and recidivism the same for criminal justice–involved individuals from varying demographic backgrounds? Relying on two independent samples of offenders and two measures of criminal thinking, the current studies examined whether four demographic factors—gender, race, age, and education—moderated the relationship between criminal thinking and recidivism. Study 1 consisted of 226 drug-involved probationers enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. Study 2 consisted of 346 jail inmates from a longitudinal study. Logistic regression models suggested that the strength of the relationship between criminal thinking and subsequent recidivism did not vary based on participant demographics, regardless of justice system setting or measure of criminal thinking. Criminal thinking predicts recidivism similarly for people who are male, female, Black, White, older, younger, and more or less educated. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The notion that high psychopathy inmates seek treatment for nontherapeutic reasons is frequently assumed but lacking empirical evidence. In a sample of 217 jail inmates, we examined whether psychopathy differentially predicted treatment-seeking during incarceration versus postrelease. Overall, analyses revealed psychopathic inmates did not artificially seek treatment at a higher rate than their lower-psychopathy peers during or following incarceration. There was no evidence psychopathy was associated with treatment-seeking for present-oriented reasons during incarceration. High psychopathy inmates, particularly Factor 1, were more likely to request jail law library access than their lower-psychopathy peers. These findings challenge assumptions regarding psychopathic offenders’ treatment-seeking behaviors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]