More NCJRS Abstracts, May 24, 2007

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

NCJ 218165
Nawal H. Ammar ; Robert R. Weaver
Restrained Voices: Female Inmates' Views of Health Services in Two Ohio Prisons
Women & Criminal Justice Volume:16 Issue:3 Dated:2005 Pages:67 to 89

This study examined female inmates’ perceptions of health care delivery in two Ohio prisons. The results indicate that women are only comfortable discussing physical ailments with prison health care personnel and are reluctant to talk with them about mental health care or HIV. The participants reported that a female-oriented approach to health care in prisons would significantly improve prison health care. The authors point out that the female-oriented health care approach is not rooted in differences in the ailments between male and female inmates but rather by the differences in the ways that men and women encounter and respond to health care providers and illnesses. Other findings revealed that women frequently complained of back problems and about the nature and quality of health care that was delivered. Many complained of a lack of compassion from the medical staff. Fifty-six female inmates participated in face-to-face interviews regarding the role gender plays in prison health care delivery. The research was part of a larger research project that examined health care delivery in Ohio prisons from the perspectives of administrators, service providers, and offenders. The current analysis focused on the interviews of female prisoners from two women’s prisons in Ohio. Participants were purposively sampled from each category of health service consumption to ensure a variety of health care pattern use. Future research should focus on the relationship between poverty and incarcerated women’s use of health care, as well as issues related to sexual assault and battering and the effects of co-payments on the frequency of prison health care use. Tables, notes, references

NCJ 218167
David Loveland ; Michael Boyle
Intensive Case Management as a Jail Diversion Program for People with a Serious Mental Illness: A Review of the Literature
International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology Volume:51 Issue:2 Dated:April 2007 Pages:130 to 150

This study reviewed the research literature on two types of intensive case management (ICM) programs that serve as jail diversion programs for people with serious mental illness (SMI). Results indicated that the general ICM programs, which include an assessment of arrests and incarceration rates for people with a SMI only rarely reduced arrest or jail rates for this population over time. Additionally, the rates of arrest and incarceration for the general ICM programs were similar to those found in standard mental health services. The general ICM programs that included an integrated additional treatment component produced more mixed results. The findings were mixed jail diversion interventions with an ICM program, but generally more ICM programs produced significant reductions in arrest and incarceration rates over time for people with SMI. The research review was conducted with the following criteria: (1) an empirical study that evaluated a case management program for people with a mental illness; (2) at least 50 percent of the sample had to have a mental illness; (3) must include an assessment if involvement in the criminal justice system; and (4) the program had to be implemented in the United States or Canada. Research for review use identified using multiple scientific abstracts including PsycINFO, Medline, ERIC, Criminal Justice Abstracts, and Social Work Abstracts. Additionally, all published evaluations of case management programs were reviewed. The authors relied on a basic qualitative format to analyze the research literature. Future research should focus on the efficacy of using a community-based ICM program as an intervention for diverting individuals with a SMI away from the criminal justice system and into the behavioral health system. Tables, references

NCJ 218187
Lori Suzanne Golden ; Robert J. Gatchel ; Melissa Anne Cahill
Evaluating the Effectiveness of the National Institute of Corrections' "Thinking for a Change" Program Among Probationers
Journal of Offender Rehabilitation Volume:43 Issue:2 Dated:2006 Pages:55 to 73

This article reports on the evaluation of the effectiveness of a National Institute of Corrections cognitive-behavioral program for adult offenders entitled "Thinking for a Change," which consists of 22 sessions designed to facilitate interpersonal problem-solving skills through instruction, role play, review of previous lessons, and homework assignments. Evaluation findings show that the program significantly improved problem-solving skills for those who completed the program compared to those who did not complete it. There was moderate indication that these acquired skills might have reduced reoffending. Program dropouts had significantly higher rates of technical probation violations than either program completers or members of the control group. Future research might examine whether "booster sessions," an aftercare group, or relapse prevention measures, added to the program curriculum, might further delay reoffending. The evaluation was designed to compare the demographics, differences in study measures, probation violations, and new offense charges among probationers who completed "Thinking for a Change," those who participated in the program but did not complete it, and those who did not participate in the program at all. Participants were 142 men and women on probation who were at least 18 years old and were classified as "medium risk," "high risk," or "high need." 2 figures and 32 references