Sunday, January 20, 2008

More NCJRS Abstracts, January 20, 2007

AMONG THE LATEST RESEARCH POSTED AT http://www.ncjrs.gov/. CHECK FOR OTHER ARTICLES OF INTEREST THERE AS WELL.

NCJ 220922
Joseph P. Morrissey; Gary S. Cuddeback; Alison Evans Cuellar; Henry J. Steadman
Role of Medicaid Enrollment and Outpatient Services Use in Jail Recidivism Among Persons With Severe Mental Illness
Psychiatric Services
Volume:58 Issue:6 Dated:June 2007 Pages:794 to 801

This study determined whether having Medicaid benefits and receiving mental health services were associated with a reduction in reoffending after release by jail detainees with severe mental illness. In both counties involved in the study, having Medicaid benefits available at release was linked to a 16-percent reduction in the average number of subsequent detentions of severely mentally ill detainees. After the analysis controlled for demographic and clinical variables, more days on Medicaid were linked with a reduced number of subsequent detentions in King County (Washington State) and more days in the community before subsequent arrests in both counties (King County and Pinellas County, FL). No association was found between Medicaid status and the severity of the offense leading to rearrest in either county. Further research is required in order to determine ways in which greater reductions in reoffending can be achieved for jail detainees with severe mental illness. The study used a quasi-experimental design in which administrative data were collected and analyzed. Subjects of the study were all persons with severe mental illness released over a 2-year period from jails in King County (n=5,189) and Pinellas County (n=2,419). They were monitored for 12 months after their release from jail. Those who were receiving Medicaid benefits at release and those who did not receive these benefits were compared on three variables: number of arrests after release, how soon any rearrests occurred, and the seriousness of offenses linked with any rearrests. The data were analyzed with negative binomial, Cox proportional hazards models, and logistic regression with adjustment for dependent observations. 3 tables and 32 references

NCJ 220964
Sharon Casey; Andrew Day; Kevin Howells; Tony Ward
Assessing Suitability for Offender Rehabilitation: Development and Validation of the Treatment Readiness Questionnaire
Criminal Justice and Behavior: An International Journal
Volume:34 Issue:11 Dated:November 2007 Pages:1427 to 1440

This paper reports on the development and validation of a brief self-report measure (the Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire) designed to assess treatment readiness in offenders who have been referred to a cognitive skills program. The Corrections Victoria Treatment Readiness Questionnaire (CVTRQ) scale itself exhibited good psychometric properties. It is internally consistent and has high levels of discriminant and convergent validity. The CVTRQ was able to predict treatment engagement and treatment performance at the mid-point of the program. It is concluded that the measure can play a valuable role in the assessment of offenders who are being considered for rehabilitative treatment. Although the needs to assess appropriate candidates for offender rehabilitation programs are widely acknowledged, few assessment tools are available that has been validated for use with offender populations. The objective of this study was to investigate the extent to which a self-report measure, the CVTRQ, validly predicted those offenders who were likely to be able to engage in a cognitive skills program. The CVTRQ is a 40-item self-report questionnaire that assesses readiness to participate in and engage with a cognitive skills training program. Participants in the study were 177 convicted male offenders referred to a cognitive skills program delivered in community and prison settings in Victoria, Australia. Tables and references

NCJ 220963
He Len Chung; Carol A. Schubert; Edward Mulvey
Empirical Portrait of Community Reentry Among Serious Juvenile Offenders in Two Metropolitan Cities
Criminal Justice and Behavior: An International Journal
Volume:34 Issue:11 Dated:November 2007 Pages:1402 to 1426

This study examined the community reentry process among several hundred serious adolescent offenders released from juvenile court commitments in two metropolitan areas. The findings indicate that reentry offenders are sensitive to close and extended supervision and service contacts during the aftercare period and that different components of these processes may be important for motivating restraint from negative behaviors and promoting engagement in school and/or work. The general findings about the importance of aftercare services in reducing the likelihood of recidivism mirror results from other investigations of long-term criminal outcomes with adult offenders on parole. To date, studies of offender reentry have provided limited data on reintegration outcomes and the impact of aftercare supervision and services on individual adjustment. This study examined the facility-to-community transition among 413 serious adolescent offenders released from juvenile court commitments in Maricopa County, AZ and Philadelphia County, PA. The study sought to provide a broad view of functioning during young offenders’ first 6 months in the community on multiple indicators of adjustment, antisocial activity, formal system involvement, school attendance, and employment. The study also assessed their participation in postrelease court supervision and community-based services and presented data about the duration and intensity of these activities. References

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