Deborah Shelton

Impact of a Dialectic Behavior Therapy-Corrections Modified (DBT-CM) Upon Behaviorally Challenged Incarcerated Male Adolescents

PURPOSE This article reports the findings of a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy-Corrections Modified (DBT-CM) intervention upon difficult-to-manage, impulsive, and/or aggressive incarcerated male adolescents. METHODS A secondary analysis of a subsample of 38 male adolescents who participated in the study was conducted. A one-group pretest-posttest design was used; descriptive statistics and t-tests were conducted. RESULTS Significant changes were found in physical aggression, distancing coping methods, and number of disciplinary tickets for behavior. CONCLUSION The study supports the value of DBT-CM for the management of incarcerated male adolescents with difficult-to-manage aggressive behaviors.

Conducting Research in Corrections: Challenges and Solutions

Research in correctional settings has progressed from the exploitation of a vulnerable population in the years prior to 1978 to its current overly protective and restrictive state. With the considerable growth in the numbers of inmates with medical and mental health care needs, developing effective interventions to serve this population is paramount. There now appear to be signs of interest in and support for research with inmates by correctional agencies, academia, and health care organizations. Innes (2003) has articulated the following strategies for implementing research in prison: (1) gather stakeholders; (2) include one or more experienced research collaborators; (3) consider obtaining technical assistance from a university or the National Institute of Corrections (NIC); (4) define potential opportunities/interests that support the institutions mission; (5) develop a relationship with an IRB; (6) pilot a small proposal that is of interest and potential value to the organization. The authors illustrate the implementation of a study in a correctional system that uses these strategies.

THE ROLE OF CONTEXTUAL, CHILD, AND PARENT FACTORS IN PREDICTING CRIMINAL OUTCOMES IN ADOLESCENCE

This study examined predictor variables that would contribute toward an explanatory model linking child maltreatment and the outcome of crime seriousness. A secondary data analysis was completed on a random sample of youth committed and detained by a juvenile justice system in the northeast United States. Although existing data indicate a predisposition to crime and violence among youth that are maltreated, more research is needed to determine the exact nature of the link, as well as the need to determine the relationship of associated factors. The aim of this analysis was to identify key contextual, child, and parental factors related to maladaptive behavior in abused and neglected adolescent offenders. Logistic regression was used to predict serious criminal outcomes. Overall, 73% of the cases were correctly classified. Ten variables remained in the model to predict serious juvenile criminal behavior. Youth who had been exposed to community violence or who had a mother with mental illness were four times as likely to commit serious criminal behaviors.

Costs of criminal justice involvement among persons with serious mental illness in connecticut.

OBJECTIVE This study sought to describe patterns and costs of criminal justice involvement among adults with serious mental illness who received services across public agencies within a single state. Costs were examined from the perspective of state agencies providing mental health, substance abuse, and criminal justice services. METHODS Administrative records for 25,133 adults who were served by the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addiction Services (DMHAS) during fiscal years 2006 and 2007 and who had a diagnosis of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder were matched with records of the state Medicaid program, Judicial Branch, Department of Correction, and Department of Public Safety. Unit costs for service events were combined with utilization data to calculate costs per person. RESULTS About one in four individuals was involved with the justice system during the two-year period. The justice-involved group incurred costs approximately double those of the group with no involvement-

Recidivism Rates Among Mentally Ill Inmates Impact of the Connecticut Offender Reentry Program

48,980 compared with

USING CREATIVE ARTS TO BUILD COPING SKILLS TO REDUCE DOMESTIC VIOLENCE IN THE LIVES OF FEMALE JUVENILE OFFENDERS

24,728 per person. Costs were shared by several state agencies and Medicaid. DMHAS bore the largest proportion of state service costs, covering 49% of total costs for persons with justice involvement and 69% of costs for those without involvement. CONCLUSIONS Criminal justice involvement is a complex and costly problem that affects a substantial proportion of adults with serious mental illness who receive services across state agencies. Applying per-person cost estimates in other states could help mental health and criminal justice systems to better plan, coordinate, and deliver cost-effective services to individuals with serious mental illness who become involved with the criminal justice system.

AIDS AND DRUG USE PREVENTION INTERVENTION FOR CONFINED YOUTHFUL OFFENDERS

This study compares data from the Connecticut Offender Reentry Program (CORP) and retrospective data for inmates who received standard treatment planning services from the Connecticut Department of Mental Health and Addictions Services (DMHAS). Analysis of DMHAS data investigated characteristics (demographic, psychiatric, and prison classification scores) and recidivism rates of 883 individuals. A program evaluation was later completed on a separate cohort of 88 individuals who participated in CORP. Comparison of the study results found that 14.1% of the CORP participants were rearrested within 6 months of discharge compared to 28.3% of the DMHAS group. This study concluded that younger age and having a co-occurring substance use disorder appear to be predictors of recidivism. A distinctly smaller percentage of CORP participants were recidivistic, indicating support for specialized reentry programs.

Leadership, Education, Achievement, and Development: A Nursing Intervention for Prevention of Youthful Offending Behavior:

The development of gender-specific programming is gaining attention as the approach that most effectively addresses the needs of female youthful offenders. This study provides a profile of female juvenile offenders, their problems and needs, and suggests psychoeducational approaches for building coping skills to reduce cycles of domestic violence. This is particularly important within a system designed primarily for their male counterparts.

A Study of Young Offenders With Learning Disabilities

This paper presents pilot work to develop and test an intervention designed to reduce high-risk behaviors that lead to the development of HIV infection in adolescents. The intervention was designed for youth that have high-risk behaviors, a history of drug use or both. The intervention was based upon Peer Counseling and Leadership Techniques (PCLT) that have been successfully implemented with adult offender populations. These methods were modified to address the specific needs of another hard to reach and high-risk population?youthful offenders. The specific aims of the pilot study were two fold: (1) to evaluate the modifications of the intervention, and (2) to test the short-term outcomes regarding knowledge acquisition, enhancement of self-esteem, and readiness to change behavior.

Establishing the public's trust through community-based participatory research: a case example to improve health care for a rural Hispanic community.

PURPOSE : This 3-year study examines a theoretically designed community-based program aimed to reduce the risk of first-time involvement by minority youth with the juvenile justice system. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design with a nonrandomized sample of 146 African American youth test an expressive art curriculum with an after school control group. Outcome measures include protective factors, behavioral self-control, self-esteem, and resilience. FINDINGS: Ninety males and 56 females participated over the 3 years. All four of the outcomes were statistically significant or the LEAD group over the control group. Youth evaluate the LEAD program higher. CONCLUSION: LEAD can be viewed as a promising prevention program. Plans for replication, with larger samples and a longitudinal design are needed to examine the effects of the development of African American youth along with other variables that relate to later acquisition of offending behaviors. J Am Psychiatr Nurses Assoc, 2009; 14(6), 429-441.