Nathan W. Link

Can General Strain Theory Help Us Understand Violent Behaviors Among People with Mental Illnesses

Recent work suggests that violence among people with mental illnesses is not simply due to the symptoms and comorbidities that define mental illness. We further this work by examining the extent to which strains or stressors explain the link between mental illness and violence. Specifically, we apply general strain theory (GST) to a longitudinal sample of adults with mental illnesses to investigate the lagged effects on violence of several strain measures, while controlling for mental illness symptoms, substance abuse, past violence, and other key variables. Parental drug abuse from childhood and stressful life events across the life course predict violence in adulthood. In a prospective model, relationship strain from an earlier time period significantly predicts changes in later self-reported violence. The results shed light on the ability of criminological frameworks to explain violence among people with mental illnesses.

Community Reintegration Among Prisoners With Child Support Obligations An Examination of Debt, Needs, and Service Receipt

In line with emerging work on the role of fatherhood in prisoner reentry, this study directs attention to the financial obligations that connect fathers to their families in reentry. Specifically, the study provides a descriptive picture of soon-to-be-released male state prisoners with child support obligations using a multi-state, longitudinal dataset, and examines whether characteristics of incarcerated men with child support orders and associated debt are significantly different from incarcerated males without child support orders. Whether males attached to comprehensive reentry programs received more services related to their debt obligation after prison release compared with non-program participants is also analyzed. Findings show that although prisoners identify having substantial needs vis-à-vis child support obligations, few reported receiving assistance related to these needs upon release. However, reentry program participants received significantly more child support–related services than non-program participants. Implications for community services and support for returning prisoners with child support orders and related needs are discussed.

Reversing Broken Windows Evidence of Lagged, Multilevel Impacts of Risk Perceptions on Perceptions of Incivility

Despite a large number of studies testing Broken Windows Theory (BWT), the reverse theoretical pathway has never been assessed longitudinally (risk perceptions → incivilities perceptions). It is estimated here using panel data from Baltimore, Maryland. Results show lagged, multilevel impacts of risk perceptions on shifting incivilities perceptions. Furthermore, impacts of risk perceptions on later shifts in perceived incivilities vary significantly across streetblocks. Findings support Harcourt’s assertion that “disorder” is not a fixed and unambiguous label; rather, it is dependent on a person defining his or her surroundings. People who report a high degree of crime risk are “biased” toward defining neighborhood features as more problematic than those who do not.

Longitudinal Associations among Child Support Debt, Employment, and Recidivism after Prison

ABSTRACT Recently released prisoners in the United States are increasingly facing the burden of financial debt associated with correctional supervision, yet little research has pursued how—theoretically or empirically—the burden of debt might affect life after prison. To address this gap, we employ life course and strain perspectives and path analysis to examine the impact of child support debt on employment and recidivism, using longitudinal data from an evaluation of a prisoner reentry program known as the Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative. Results indicate that having more debt has no effect on recidivism; however, more debt was significantly associated with a decrease in later legitimate employment. Implications for community reintegration and justice processing are discussed within the framework of past and emerging work on legal financial obligations, employment, and desistance from crime after prison.

CORRELATES OF INTERORGANIZATIONAL SERVICE COORDINATION IN COMMUNITY CORRECTIONS.

Because weak interagency coordination between community correctional agencies (e.g., probation and parole) and community-based treatment providers has been identified as a major barrier to the use of evidence-based practices (EBPs) for treating drug-involved offenders, this study sought to examine how key organizational (e.g., leadership, support, staffing) and individual (e.g., burnout, satisfaction) factors influence interagency relationships between these agencies. At each of 20 sites, probation/parole officials (n = 366) and community treatment providers (n = 204) were surveyed about characteristics of their agencies, themselves, and interorganizational relationships with each other. Key organizational and individual correlates of interagency relationships were examined using hierarchical linear models (HLM) analyses, supplemented by interview data. The strongest correlates included Adaptability, Efficacy, and Burnout. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.

Criminal Justice Debt During the Prisoner Reintegration Process: Who Has It and How Much?

Much recent, national attention has centered on financial sanctions and associated debt burdens related to criminal justice. Scholars and practitioners alike have argued that financial debt among the incarcerated, in particular, exacerbates a transition home already defined by difficulties. This article takes a step back and assesses who is at risk of these adverse consequences in reentry by examining the extent of debt burdens that resulted from financial sanctions, its sources, and the individual-level factors that are associated with owing criminal justice debt. Relying on the Returning Home data (N = 740), results from descriptive analyses, logistic regression, and negative binomial models show that a large proportion of respondents owed debts and that debt was strongly linked with being mandated to community supervision. In addition, debt amount was predicted by employment, income, and race. Policy implications in the realm of financial sanctioning by courts and correctional agencies are discussed.

Developing effective interorganizational relationships between community corrections and community treatment providers.

ABSTRACT Weak service coordination between community corrections and community treatment agencies is a significant barrier in the diffusion of pharmacotherapy for treating opioid and alcohol use disorders. This analysis draws on qualitative interviews (n = 141) collected in a multisite randomized trial to explore what probation/parole officers and treatment staff believe are the most critical influences on developing positive interorganizational relationships between their respective agencies. Officers and treatment staff highlighted factors at both the individual and organizational level, with issues related to communication surfacing as pivotal. Findings suggest that future interventions consider developing shared interagency goals with input at all staff levels.