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Objective: This study compared mental health treatment engagement among people with serious mental illness after release from jails that had either a for-profit (N=3 jails) or a nonprofit mental health provider (N=7 jails). Methods: Across the 10 jails, data were collected in 2019 for 1,238 individuals with serious mental illness. Data included demographic characteristics (age, race-ethnicity, gender, geography, and jail type) and behavioral health variables (previous mental health treatment, psychotropic medication use, substance use, and receipt of jail-based mental health services). Logistic regression was used to predict treatment engagement during the year after release, stratified by type of jail-based mental health provider, in analyses controlled for demographic and behavioral health variables. Results: Almost half (46%, N=573) of the individuals had stayed in jails with a for-profit mental health provider; the other half (54%, N=665) had stayed in jails with a nonprofit provider. In the year after release, 37% (N=458) of all individuals engaged in mental health treatment, and 63% (N=780) did not. Those who had stayed in a jail with a for-profit provider were significantly less likely to engage in mental health treatment during the year after release (AOR=0.59, 95% CI=0.42–0.83, p<0.01), compared with those in jails having a nonprofit provider. Conclusions: Staying in a jail with a for-profit mental health provider was associated with reduced postrelease engagement with community service providers. Less engagement with services during a pivotal time after release may increase behavioral health crises that erode individuals' well-being and may raise downstream costs due to further criminal legal involvement and emergency care use. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Incarcerated women serving life sentences are a growing subpopulation with multiple mental health needs. However, no existing interventions have been designed for or tested with this population. Method: This study tested a gender-responsive, trauma-informed intervention ("Beyond Violence") and examined changes in incarcerated women's mental health and anger expression. Pre-, post-, and follow-up surveys were administered to two treatment groups with women with life sentences (n = 26). Multilevel modeling was conducted to assess changes over time for women's mental health and anger expression and to compare outcomes for women based on time served. Results: Significant positive outcomes were found for all women for some anger measures, and women who had been in prison for less than 10 years started with higher scores on multiple measures and showed significant changes over time. Discussion: This study offers insight into social work practice, policy advocacy, and research for this population of women.

Objective: Beyond Violence (BV), a new prevention program for women with assaultive offenses, demonstrated feasibility in previous studies. This study's purpose is to assess the efficacy of BV using a randomized control trial. Method: Eligible women were randomly assigned to treatment as usual (TAU) and the experimental condition (BV). Measures of mental health and anger were administered to women at pre- and postintervention. Results: Outcomes reveal positive changes for both groups. Significant between-group differences favor BV on measures of anxiety and anger. Moreover, BV is cost-effective with only 20 sessions compared to 44 sessions for TAU. Conclusion: The demonstrated effectiveness of BV is promising for this underserved population of women. Next steps: Replication and assessing long-term outcomes.

Introduction: Suicide is a major public health issue, however, little is known about the characteristics/circumstances of suicide events. Data from law enforcement (LE) call reports are an important source of information related to suicide. Hence, this study explores suicide events captured in LE call reports. Method: This mixed-methods study used data from call reports collected in a metropolitan county in 2017 in a Midwestern state wherein LE responded to suicide incidents (N=213). Descriptive and bivariate analyses of quantitative data were used to assess differences between incident type (i.e. attempts vs. deaths). Themes of suicide emerged from the qualitative data. Results: Findings revealed that suicide decedents tended to be male, older, and had at least one intrapersonal issue as a precipitating factor. The qualitative sections illuminated three themes across suicide attempts: self-harm as an autonomy seeking strategy; challenging claims of suicidality; and promising to not self-harm. Conclusions: Suicide incidents that rise to the level of crisis requiring a LE response is understudied in both the suicide and LE literature. Increasing the sophistication of call report documentation procedures would allow for communities to deepen their understanding of how suicide manifests and could create pathways to non-institutionalized care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social work scholars have long questioned the validity and utility of the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) licensing exams. Data released in 2022 revealed severe disparities in pass rates based on race, age, and language, exacerbating these concerns. In this paper, we explore the potential of generative artificial intelligence (AI) such as ChatGPT to address core problems of the ASWB exams, including the use of a multiple-choice format that does not reflect real-world social work practice. To assess its social work reasoning, we used ChatGPT to answer ASWB-developed practice questions for the Bachelors, Masters, and Clinical exams. ChatGPT scored 76%, 80%, and 64%, respectively, and identified additional validity challenges. Based on this performance, we provide a proof-of-concept for how generative AI might move us toward a more valid and equitable exam. While we strongly support licensure requirements, state regulators and legislators should temporarily suspend the use of the ASWB exams for this purpose. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

TABLE OF CONTENTS INTRODUCTION I. 'IDEAL VICTIM' DISCOURSE A. HISTORY, RELEVANCE, AND IMPACT OF RAPE MYTHS B. IS THERE AN 'IDEAL' RAPE VICTIM? II. HOW RAPE MYTHS INTERACT WITH PRISON [...]

Definitions vary on what constitutes sexual and/or physical abuse, and scholars have debated on which methods might yield the most accurate response rates for capturing this sensitive information. Although some studies suggest respondents prefer methods that provide anonymity, previous studies have not utilized high-risk or stigmatized populations. In this article, the authors report on serendipitous findings when using two methods to assess the past year incidence of sexual and physical violence among women involved in the criminal justice system. Women who participated in an anonymous survey reported higher physical and sexual victimization than did the women who were interviewed, even though the questions were identical. Implications of the findings are discussed. (Contains 2 tables.)

In this article, the authors used a statewide survey to investigate the extent to which beliefs regarding the age at which youth reach maturity, the role of peer influences, and other factors, such as abuse during childhood, are associated with measures of how harshly juveniles should be treated by the justice system. The results of this study provide strong support for the hypothesis that assessments of adolescent development are important predictors of attitudes about how juveniles should be treated in the justice system. In all cases, variables measuring attitudes surrounding adolescent development explained substantially more of the variance in attitudes toward punishment than did demographic and socioeconomic variables. (Contains 1 note and 4 tables.)

Abolition of the death penalty results in life without parole (LWOP) as the most severe sanction for convicted juveniles. Although internationally the use of LWOP for juveniles is rare, 2,225 youth have been sentenced to LWOP within the United States. To address the dearth of public opinion on the issue, the authors proposed questions to the survey administrators who then selected them for inclusion in two annual statewide surveys. They found that support for LWOP diminishes considerably when respondents are given a more complex array of sentencing options rather than a dichotomous choice to agree or disagree with the current policy. Those supporting LWOP are more likely to be younger, male, and White. These findings support the need for more nuanced and complex discussions and polling language, as well as policy alternatives. (Contains 6 tables and 3 notes.)

The presence of a co-occurring substance use disorder increases the risk of incarceration for those with a serious mental illness. To examine the interface between jail and mental health systems, a sample of 1,440 individuals diagnosed with both disorders was followed for 48 months using administrative data. The majority (63%) experienced incarceration with a median length of stay of 14 days. Predictors of incarceration were a more severe substance use diagnosis and younger age. These findings inform community-wide discussions aimed at enhancing coordination and collaboration between systems with the specific goal of decreasing the high prevalence of jail interface for this population. (Contains 1 figure and 3 tables.)

Objectives: Approximately 25% of women are pregnant or postpartum when they enter prison. This study assesses a system-level intervention that prevented the separation of mothers and infants at birth, allowing them to reside together in an alternative community setting. Method: Longitudinal analysis of several state-level administrative databases compares the intervention (n = 48) group to the "treatment as usual" group (n = 36), over a 10-year period. Results: Preliminary analyses reveal few between-group differences and illuminate the presence of informal caregivers that were outside the scope of our data. Conclusions: Although 70% of the children remain legally attached to their mothers, further study is required to account for data limitations and to determine whether time to negative events differed between groups. (Contains 3 tables.)

Despite high prevalence rates, many jails lack validated measures or consistent processes for detecting mental illness. In this study, we examined the utility of the K6, an internationally used brief mental health screening measure within an urban jail. The K6 and several other mental health measures were administered to 515 jailed women. The K6 identified 36% as having a serious mental illness. There was a high concordance with the other measures, particularly when using the highest level of symptom distress (top quartile) as the comparison. These findings are promising, particularly when other mental health screening tools have less success in detecting depression and trauma-related disorders among women. (Contains 4 tables and 2 notes.)

Hybrid treatment models within prisons are staffed by both criminal justice and treatment professionals. Because these models may be indicative of future trends, examining the perceptions of prisoners/participants may provide important information. This study examines the perceptions of male and female inmates in three prisons, comparing those in therapeutic "hybrid" units (n = 701), with those in non-therapeutic units (n = 329). Inmates in therapeutic units had significantly more positive perceptions of the environment, as well as both staff groups, than inmates within the same prison in non-therapeutic units. Regression analyses suggest specific staff characteristics are associated with these positive feelings and are different for each staff group. (Contains 5 tables.)

Studies have demonstrated that treatment for drug-involved offenders can reduce relapse and recidivism. However, few institutions utilize validated assessments of drug dependence, limiting the ability to determine and prioritize services. Toward this goal, we explain an assessment method implemented statewide using a sample of 22,069 prisoners. Our purpose is to demonstrate best practice standards for screening and placement, and to disseminate information on the implementation process and data from the statewide screening, so that others may adapt similar procedures in their institutional environments. Six steps in the process are detailed with a brief summary of the efficacy of the new procedure. (Contains 4 tables and 1 note.)

Returning citizens struggle to obtain employment after release from prison and navigating job interviews is a critical barrier they encounter. Implementing evidence-based interview training is a major gap in prison-based vocational services. We conducted a randomized controlled trial (RCT) to evaluate the feasibility and initial effectiveness of Virtual Reality Job Interview Training (VR-JIT) within two prisons. Forty-four male returning citizens were randomized to receive service-as-usual (SAU) with VR-JIT (SAU + VR-JIT, n = 28) or SAU (n = 16). Participants reported VR-JIT was highly acceptable and usable. SAU + VR-JIT, compared with SAU, had significant improvements (with large effect sizes) in interview skills, interview training motivation, and interview anxiety (all p <.05; η p 2 >.15), and greater employment by 6-month follow-up (odds ratio [OR] = 7.4, p =.045). VR-JIT can potentially help fill a major gap in prison-based services. Future research is needed to validate VR-JIT effectiveness and evaluate VR-JIT implementation strategies within prisons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability of individuals to gain mastery over their environment is considered empowerment. However, empowerment often is assessed without attention to the historical, social, or political context the individual is embedded within. This context often is contingent upon social policies that enhance or limit the choices an individual has to behave in ways constructed as efficacious. One example of such a policy is Section 115 of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Act of 1996, which mandated a lifetime ban on welfare benefits to individuals convicted of a drug-related felony. This study examines the policy's implications from the perspective of empowerment. Specifically, we explore the characteristics of those targeted by the policy and what the denial of welfare benefits is likely to mean for this group. Using the sequential application of case study and survey methods, we first reviewed 250 court files of female drug offenders in one midwestern county, finding that most who were convicted of a drug felony received sentences of community probation, predominantly for use and possession. Second, we conducted face-to-face interviews with a subsample of 52 drug-convicted women who otherwise were eligible for welfare benefits and compared them with the general welfare-to-work population. The women in our sample had more severe barriers to self-sufficiency, including less education, higher rates of domestic violence, higher likelihood of recent major depression, and substantially higher rates of post-traumatic stress disorder. Our findings suggest that the current national policy of denying welfare benefits based on a felony conviction status is unlikely to deter drug use or promote self-efficacy unless accompanied by effective mental-health services, help with employment, and supports to ensure a safe living environment. (Contains 3 tables and 1 footnote.)

Objective/Method: Given the relationship between post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and substance use disorders (SUD), and the prevalence of SUD among offenders, the inattention to trauma before, during, and after incarceration is troubling. This exploratory study compared those with and without co-occurring PTSD among men (n = 139) and women (n = 60) involved in prison-based substance abuse treatment. Results: More than one half the sample met criteria for lifetime PTSD with women experiencing a greater number of events and men experiencing more recent events. Women with PTSD were significantly more likely to relapse than women without. Men with PTSD were more likely to enter community aftercare treatment and recidivate than those without. Conclusion: The findings suggest that trauma-related disorders, among those with SUD, affect postincarceration outcomes. Therefore, from a practice and policy perspective, interventions addressing this co-occurring disorder should be available to men and women within the criminal justice system. (Contains 3 tables.)