Suchergebnisse

In 2002, 69 sites were awarded funding under the Federal Partner's Serious and Violent Offender Reentry Initiative. This initiative calls for each site to design and implement an efficacious three-part program for the successful reintegration of offenders returning from prison into communities across the United States. The Kansas Department of Corrections and the University of Kansas worked together to design, implement, and evaluate the Kansas program, building into it a boundary spanner: that person who works within and between systems to effect integrated system change. This article explores the role of the boundary spanner in confronting the 21st-century challenges facing corrections and communities. A look at how boundary spanning in Kansas is helping to pave the way to achieving optimal systemic change illustrates its usefulness in reentry efforts.

Purpose: Thousands release from imprisonment every day but no specialized measures of progress during reentry exist beyond criminal risk. This study investigates a new measure of well-being during the transition to the community called the Reentry Well-Being Assessment Tool (RWAT). The RWAT is designed as an alternative to measures of risk while responding to the challenges of individualizing program services and evaluating effectiveness. Method: Confirmatory factor analysis informed by item response theory was undertaken to identify a parsimonious set of RWAT items. Results: Analysis identified 13 unidimensional factors. Multidimensional modeling supported a second-order factor to assess reentry well-being with minor modifications, ( x2(3,724) = 12,564.27, p <.001; root mean square error of approximation = 0.04 [0.039–0.040]; comparative fit index = 0.91; Tucker-Lewis index = 0.91). Discussion: The final RWAT is composed of seven measures with 89 items. Further research is needed to investigate the RWAT in populations disproportionately impacted by mass incarceration, particularly women of color.

Abstract
Relationships between opioid use and health, both physical and mental, have been discovered over the last decade or so, but these relationships have yet to be explored among incarcerated individuals. These relationships are important as they may have implications on the health of those who are incarcerated and nearing reentry, because higher rates of opioid use, as well as poor physical and mental health, are found among those who are justice-involved compared with the general population. Using baseline data from a multistate randomized controlled trial, authors aimed to fill this gap by exploring mental health disorder rates and physical health among a sample of incarcerated individuals who report lifetime opioid use and nearing community reentry. Results showed that the prevalence of lifetime opioid use was significantly associated with increased physical role limitation, decreased emotional well-being, and overall poorer health. Additionally, individuals with a lifetime history of opioid use were significantly more likely to have depression, social and generalized anxiety disorders, as well as a history of alcohol and illicit substance use. This work speaks to the urgency in expanding efforts to increase access to comprehensive service delivery models that address substance use, mental health, and physical health comorbidities among incarcerated individuals.

AbstractThe national government can force or entice state governments to act on policy through a variety of actions, including providing monetary incentives and sanctions. We examine how and under what conditions actions of the national government influence the diffusion of policy across the states. We test our hypotheses on the cases of the diffusion of partial birth abortion laws, truth-in-sentencing laws, and hate crime laws using event history analysis on pooled cross-sectional data from the 50 states. Our results suggest that, in addition to fiscal incentives, the national government can influence state policymaking when it sends strong, clear signals to the states concerning its preferences and the potential for future action. But even national-level signals that are weak and ambiguous may influence state policymaking indirectly.

Examines the nature of vertical policy diffusion in the US, and other factors that influence state government policy; case studies of truth-in-sentencing laws, partial birth abortion, and hate crime policy.

Purpose: This study sought to validate the psychometric properties of the Network Composition Survey (NCS), a multi-dimensional conceptualization of social support for individuals who are incarcerated. Methods: Data included 1,539 individuals recruited in 50 prisons across four states to participate in the pilot trial of a prison reentry program. Exploratory factor analysis using the first support person data identified a factor structure, and confirmatory factor analysis verified that structure using the second and third support person data conducted with Mplus 8.2. Results: Two of the hypothesized dimensions, informational and emotional support, were confirmed, and a third factor of companionship was identified. Conclusion: The reduced NCS is a reliable and valid measure of multi-dimensional social support for individuals during incarceration. The NCS reflects a more nuanced assessment of the complexities of interpersonal dynamics with support figures. The NCS also provides utility services targeted for social support during reentry.

AbstractIn the United States, nearly 13 million adults are incarcerated in prisons and jails annually with significant negative public health consequences. Incarcerated individuals have disproportionate rates of behavioral health disorders (BHDs); untreated BHD symptoms bring people into incarceration settings and are associated with re‐arrest after release. Although lack of treatment motivation is often used to explain these outcomes, individuals may have limited knowledge about BHDs and their symptoms, when and why treatment is warranted, and how to access treatment during custody and in the community. We propose a new construct called behavioral health literacy to facilitate linkage between individuals with BHDs and appropriate treatment options. In this paper, we define behavioral health literacy, review extant literature, describe why behavioral health literacy is needed, and explore how behavioral health literacy interventions may be developed to expand knowledge and guide policy and practice, ultimately improving both behavioral health outcomes and reduce criminal legal system involvement.