Christopher J. Sullivan

Local Life Circumstances and Offending Specialization/Versatility: Comparing Opportunity and Propensity Models

Research has consistently indicated that most offenders demonstrate diversity over the life course. Even so, recent work suggests that offenders tend to illustrate specialization in the short-term, though this specialization diminishes as the “time window” for examining an offending career increases. To examine why this pattern emerges, the authors investigate the extent to which opportunity structures, as defined by local life circumstances, predict offense specialization/diversity relative to individuals enduring propensities to offend. The results suggest that both individual-level propensity, as well as changes in local life circumstances (e.g., employment, marriage, drug and alcohol use), impact patterns of offense specialization/ versatility in the short term. The implications of these results for life-course theories of crime, with a particular focus on integrating opportunity and propensity models of criminal behavior, are discussed.

General Strain Theory and the Relationship Between Early Victimization and Drug Use

This study uses general strain theory to examine the direct and indirect relationship between early victimization and drug use. Few previous studies measure strain as victimization. Also, past studies tend to combine drug use measures with delinquency measures. This study expands this research by operationalizing strain as early victimization and using measures of both frequency and onset of drug use. National Survey of Adolescents data is used to test the hypotheses. The results show that when youth are victimized they will use drugs more frequently and use drugs at a younger age. These relationships were only partially mediated by social bonds and negative emotions.

Modified Therapeutic Community Treatment for Offenders with MICA Disorders: Substance Use Outcomes

Correctional systems nationwide have increasingly turned to therapeutic community (TC) programs for the treatment of addiction in prisons. TC treatment, with modifications, has shown considerable promise in treating offenders who have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders, a group that has a mounting prevalence in prison populations. This article reports data from a study that randomly assigned male inmates with mental illness and chemical abuse (MICA) disorders (n = 139) to either a Modified TC (MTC) or a comparison group. Analyses revealed that the MTC group had significantly greater declines in alcohol and drug use at 12-months post-prison release. Additional analysis related positive substance use outcomes to reduced contact with the justice system and self-reported criminal activity. Implications for treatment and policy are discussed.

Reducing Out-of-Community Placement and Recidivism Diversion of Delinquent Youth With Mental Health and Substance Use Problems From the Justice System

For a number of reasons, researchers and policy makers are now focusing on diversion of youth from the juvenile justice system. This study examines New York States diversion efforts focused on youth with mental health and substance abuse problems who are at risk of out-of-community placement (N = 2,309). Twelve counties participated in the Mental Health Juvenile Justice (MH/JJ) Diversion Project. Overall, the initiative was successful in reducing out-of-community placement and recidivism for diverted youth. In regression analysis site, services received, and problem-profile variables were important predictors of out-of-community placement. Prior record, prior placement, and significant mental health problems were statistically significant predictors of recidivism. This suggests some contrasts in explaining the results of two important goals of the MH/JJ project. Study results and implications for future research and intervention are discussed.

Exploring Careers in Deviance: A Joint Trajectory Analysis of Criminal Behavior and Substance Use in an Offender Population

Empirically, one of the most consistently observed correlations in social science inquiry is that of substance use and criminal behavior. Recently, these behaviors have been examined separately within longitudinal, career-based frameworks. This study assesses the joint distribution of crime and substance use over several years and identifies a number of latent classes reflecting trends in these behaviors. The study data come from a sample of 524 offenders released from California Youth Authority custody. In general, the two behaviors tend to ebb and flow together, but the overall prevalence of substance use over time, absent offending, suggests some degree of independence.

Modified Therapeutic Community Treatment for Offenders with MICA Disorders: Antisocial Personality Disorder and Treatment Outcomes.

Abstract Treatment outcomes 1 year after release from prison were compared for two subgroups of male inmates with co-occurring serious mental illness and chemical abuse (MICA) disorders, those with a diagnosis for Antisocial Personality Disorder (APD), and those without a diagnosis of APD. The foundation study had randomly assigned inmates to either Modified Therapeutic Community (MTC) or Mental Health (MH) treatment programs. Results presented in this paper support earlier findings of the overall effectiveness of MTC treatment in correctional settings, and extend these findings to encompass the subgroup of offenders whose co-occurring disorders include APD. An intent-to-treat analysis (all study entrants) and a matched group analysis (Medium propensity stratum) found significantly greater improvement on measures of criminal activity and substance use for those in the MTC group (as compared with the MH group) regardless of APD diagnosis, and showed that negative treatment effects were not linked to APD. Differences between the treatment groups were consistent and significant, and persisted after an examination of various threats to validity (e.g., initial motivation, exposure to treatment, severity of substance use, severity of APD symptomatology). These findings are encouraging and consonant with other studies of the effectiveness of TC approaches for APD populations receiving substance abuse treatment in correctional settings. Given the available evidence and the demand for effective programming for offenders with co-occurring disorders, criminal justice program and policy makers should strongly consider developing modified TC programs across a full array of mental disorders, including APD.

The Gendered Expressions of Self-Control: Manifestations of Noncriminal Deviance Among Females

The present study explores the relationships between Gottfredson and Hirschis (1990) concept of low self-control and two forms of deviance more common among females than males, borderline personality characteristics and eating disorders. Ordinary least squares regression models revealed that self-control was significantly associated with both borderline personality characteristics and eating disorder symptoms among a sample of 161 female undergraduates. The findings of the present study highlight the potential utility in expanding our focus of the effects of low self-control beyond traditional analogous behaviors, especially when attempting to understand female behavior.

Cocaine Use and Delinquent Behavior among High-Risk Youths: A Growth Model of Parallel Processes.

We report the results of a parallel-process, latent growth model analysis examining the relationships between cocaine use and delinquent behavior among youths. The study examined a sample of 278 justice-involved juveniles completing at least one of three follow-up interviews as part of a National Institute on Drug Abuse–funded study. The results of our analysis of the cocaine use and delinquency parallel-process model highlighted that these phenomena are mutually related experiences over time. Particularly noteworthy is the significant, positive relationship between cocaine trend and delinquency trend: as the rate of change in cocaine use increases, a corresponding change occurs in engaging in delinquent behavior. Implications for policy and intervention service needs are discussed.

Modified Therapeutic Community Treatment for Offenders with Co-Occurring Disorders: Mental Health Outcomes.

Abstract This paper examines outcomes 12 months post-prison release for offenders with co-occurring disorders (n = 185) randomly assigned to either a mental health control treatment (C) or a modified therapeutic community (E). Significant between-group differences were not found for mental health measures, although improvements were observed for each group. Reductions in criminal behavior were associated more with substance use than improvements in mental health symptoms, supporting the primacy of substance abuse treatment in affecting recidivism. Additional study of this population is needed to describe the relationships among diagnostic subgroups, as well as change in substance use and in mental health symptoms.

Exploring the Utility of an Estimation Procedure to Reveal Drug Use among Arrestees: Implications for Service Delivery

One of the most persistent questions plaguing researchers and service providers is how to best estimate the extent of targeted behaviors in relevant populations. One problem of particular importance is the prevalence of drug use in justice-involved populations. Data have been collected through such methods as self-report and analysis of biological specimens, although both have notable limitations when used alone. As a means of drawing on the strengths of both methods, such data can be used in a confirmatory manner or, alternatively, may be summed to estimate prevalence. However, this latter approach is not without difficulty as different sources lack substantial agreement. The focus of this study is to employ a methodology that utilizes multiple data sources and adjusts for nonreporting from either source. Compared to more commonly employed techniques, the results indicate that the alternative method yields higher estimates of marijuana and cocaine use among a sample of arrestees. These findings, in turn, suggest that current behavioral health interventions and policies may be based on underestimates of drug use.