‘Without the Right Support Network I’d Probably Be Either Dead or in the Prison System’: The Role of Support in Helping Offenders on their Journey to Desistance [2020]
Reforms designed to enhance the delivery of flexible and holistic support to offenders were introduced in 2013, with a clear focus on addressing ‘broader life management issues’ to enable behaviour change. Data are drawn from total of 117 semi‐structured interviews
“That’s Just the Tip of It Because It Goes Deeper Than That”: A Qualitative Exploration Into the Role of Mental Illness in Offending Onset and Subsequent Offending Behavior – 2018
There continues to be considerable debate regarding the most effective ways to reduce the number of mentally ill offenders in the adult criminal justice system. What is often missing from this national discussion is an examination of the factors associated
A comparison of criminogenic risk factors and psychiatric symptomatology between psychiatric inpatients with and without criminal justice involvement [2020]
Objective: Research suggests distinct criminal risk factors, not mental illness, are more strongly associated with most criminal behaviors. This notion has been supported among inpatient persons with mental illness (PMI) when examining antisocial cognitions; however, other key criminogenic risk factors
A developmental origins perspective on the emergence of violent behavior in males with prenatal substance exposure [2018]
Children with prenatal substance exposure are at increased risk for externalizing behavior problems and violence. However, the contribution of early life experiences for placing these individuals at risk is not well understood. Utilizing a sample of 1,388 children with prenatal
A developmental origins perspective on the emergence of violent behavior in males with prenatal substance exposure [2018]
Children with prenatal substance exposure are at increased risk for externalizing behavior problems and violence. However, the contribution of early life experiences for placing these individuals at risk is not well understood. Utilizing a sample of 1,388 children with prenatal
A Fresh Start or the Devil You Know? Examining Relationships Between Release Location Choices, Community Experiences, and Recidivism for High-Risk Parolees [2019]
This study investigated the effects of residential relocation in a sample of 282 high-risk male offenders paroled from New Zealand prisons. Initially we compared those returning to their old neighborhoods (devil you know) and those released to a new location
A neurodevelopmental perspective on male violence [2018]
Research is increasingly documenting a neurobiological basis to violence. This review takes a neurodevelopmental perspective on the very small group of males who grow up to become persistent violent offenders. After outlining six criteria for what constitutes a neurodevelopmental disorder,
A Preliminary Investigation of the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles–Layperson Edition–Short Form [2017]
The Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles (PICTS) is commonly used to assess criminal thinking (thoughts related to criminal behavior); however, the item wording may not be an appropriate assessment for individuals without a criminal history (laypersons) who still may
A prospective study of behavioral health indicators and repeat jail admissions among rural inmates [2019]
BackgroundApproximately three quarters of a million adults are detained in US jails, and rural detention centers are responsible for the largest recent increases in this population. It is estimated that two thirds of jail inmates meet criteria for a substance
A Typology of Lifetime Criminal Justice Involvement Among Homeless Individuals With Mental Illness: Identifying Needs to Better Target Intervention [2020]
This study aimed to characterize lifetime criminal involvement among homeless people with mental illness in Canada (N = 1,682). A latent profile analysis yielded five classes. Most participants fell within the Fewer Needs (75.5%) group, characterized by less complex psychosocial
A Year Without a Conviction: An Integrated Examination of Potential Mechanisms for Successful Reentry in High-Risk Violent Prisoners [2018]
Some high-risk prisoners on parole “beat the odds”: remaining in the community through their first year without incurring even minor reconvictions. What makes the difference? We investigated three potential mechanisms for postrelease survival—lower dynamic risk, greater readiness for parole, and
Acting on delusions: the role of negative affect in the pathway towards serious violence [2018]
Acting violently on delusions is a significant clinical problem. Recent research has identified state anger as key component in the pathway from persecutory/threat delusions to serious violence. To determine the magnitude of the effect of delusional anger and to investigate
Adherence to Antipsychotic Medication and Criminal Recidivism in a Canadian Provincial Offender Population [2017]
Preliminary evidence suggests that adherence to antipsychotic medication reduces criminal recidivism among patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. However, existing studies operationalize antipsychotic adherence as a binary variable (usually using a threshold of ≥80%), which does not reflect the prevalence of suboptimal
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Justice-Involved Youth: The Effect of Trauma and Programming on Different Recidivistic Outcomes [2018]
Studies have demonstrated that adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are prevalent in justice-involved youth and related to recidivism. However, the effect of programming on reducing reoffending for youth with a trauma history is not well researched. This study aims to examine
Adverse Childhood Experiences of Violent Female Offenders: A Comparison of Homicide and Sexual Perpetrators [2017]
Adverse childhood experiences are associated with a multitude of health and social problems. In addition to an increased risk of poor health, mental disorders, and substance abuse, childhood maltreatment is also significantly related to adult violent offending. Although gender-specific analyses
Adverse childhood experiences: a retrospective study to understand their associations with lifetime mental health diagnosis, self-harm or suicide attempt, and current low mental wellbeing in a male Welsh prison population [2020]
BackgroundPrisoners are at increased risk of poor mental health and self-harming behaviours, with suicide being the leading cause of death in custody. Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) such as child maltreatment are strong predictors of poor mental health and wellbeing yet
Aggressive behavior and metacognitive functions: a longitudinal study on patients with mental disorders [2020]
BackgroundMetacognitive functions play a key role in understanding which psychological variables underlying the personality might lead a person with a severe mental disorder to commit violent acts against others. The aims of this study were to: (a) investigate the differences
An analysis of high-risk offending pathways for young females in custody [2018]
Adolescent females who have engaged in severe and/or chronic offending are an understudied population internationally. The literature on female offending pathways has indeed advanced, and there is a better understanding of how female offending behaviours manifest and how correctional agencies
An Early Adverse Experience Goes a Long, Criminogenic, Gendered Way: The Nexus of Early Adversities, Adult Offending, and Gender [2020]
Early adverse experiences have been identified as a salient risk factor for crime and delinquency. However, past empirical studies predominantly used youth and young adult samples; much less is known about this risk factor’s effect on adult offending. This study
An Examination of Parental and Peer Influence on Substance Use and Criminal Offending During the Transition From Adolescence to Adulthood – 2018
Although peer behavior and parent–child conflict have been associated with adolescent and young adults’ behavior, prior studies have not adequately controlled for selection effects and other confounders, or examined whether associations change across the transition to adulthood or by race.
An Examination of the Professional Override of the Level of Service Inventory–Ontario Revision [2020]
This study examined the nature and impacts of the professional override on the Level of Service Inventory–Ontario Revision (LSI-OR), using a large archival database of 40,539 individuals’ information. Research questions focused on the predictive validity of various LSI-OR risk metrics,
Are Canadian Girls Becoming More Violent? An Examination of Integrated Criminal Court Survey Statistics [2017]
Girls often find themselves at the center of a moral panic surrounding youth crime with claims that their behavior is out of control in national news media. While media often readily suggests that crime among girls is on the rise,
Are police cautions a soft option? Reoffending among juveniles cautioned or referred to court [2018]
During the 1990s, many jurisdictions introduced police cautions as an alternative to referral to court for juveniles committing comparatively minor offences. The policy was motivated by a concern that contact with the court system for such offenders might be criminogenic.
Are the Effects of Adverse Childhood Experiences on Violent Recidivism Offense-Specific? [2020]
A growing body of literature has found that exposure to child maltreatment and other forms of family dysfunction, often conceptualized as Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs), are associated with delinquent and criminal behavior. Recent research has indicated that the effects of
Assessing change in dynamic risk factors in forensic psychiatric inpatients: relationship with psychopathy and recidivism – 2017-10
This study explored change in dynamic risk for violence using the Clinical and Risk Management subscales of the Historical Clinical and Risk Management-20 version 3 (HCR-20 v3) and sought to determine whether change was associated with violent recidivism. The association
Association Between Deliberate Self-harm and Violent Criminality [2017]
Key Points Question Are individuals who self-harm prone to aggressive behavior toward others? Findings In this population-based cohort study of 1 850 525 individuals, there was an almost doubled risk of violent crime among self-harming individuals after adjusting for psychiatric comorbidity and
Association Between Early Contact With Mental Health Services After an Offense and Reoffending in Individuals Diagnosed With Psychosis [2020]
Key PointsQuestion What is the association between early clinical contact with mental health services and reoffending after an index offense among individuals diagnosed with psychosis? Findings In this cohort study of 7030 offenders with psychosis, 2-year follow-up showed an association
Association of Childhood Blood Lead Levels With Criminal Offending – 2017-12-26
Key Points Question Is childhood lead exposure associated with criminal offending in a setting where the degree of lead exposure was not confounded by socioeconomic status? Findings In this cohort study of 553 New Zealanders observed for 38 years, lead
Association of Childhood Blood Lead Levels With Criminal Offending – 2018-02
Key Points Question Is childhood lead exposure associated with criminal offending in a setting where the degree of lead exposure was not confounded by socioeconomic status? Findings In this cohort study of 553 New Zealanders observed for 38 years, lead
Associations between posttraumatic stress and legal charges among substance using veterans – 2018
Substance misuse is prevalent among veterans entering the criminal justice system, and is related to recidivism. Research demonstrates that trauma exposure and posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms, which commonly co-occur with substance misuse, also increase the risk of legal involvement and
Australian prison vocational education and training and returns to custody among male and female ex-prisoners: A cross-jurisdictional study – 2018
The current study examined the impact of vocational education and training in the custody setting on returns to custody among Australian adult prisoners from selected jurisdictions. Vocational education and training, education, and behavioural change programme participation in custody and demographic
Australian prison vocational education and training and returns to custody among male and female ex-prisoners: A cross-jurisdictional study [2018]
The current study examined the impact of vocational education and training in the custody setting on returns to custody among Australian adult prisoners from selected jurisdictions. Vocational education and training, education, and behavioural change programme participation in custody and demographic
Back to the future: A retrospective cost benefit analysis of an education dropout program as an intervention to prevent reincarceration [2019]
This article carries out a cost benefit analysis of early childhood education for preventing reincarceration. It estimates the external benefits that accrue to society as a whole, in terms of the savings from specific crimes no longer taking place and
Behavioral Addictions and Criminal Responsibility – 2017-12
Certain behavioral addictions pose difficult and unresolved problems for the criminal justice system. These disorders are characterized by strong desire states and may be associated with illegal behaviors that are committed to support the addiction. In this article, we begin
Behavioral health indicators and time‐to‐rearrest in an adult pre‐arrest diversion program [2020]
Several states have recently adopted legislation in support of pre‐arrest diversion programs that give police the authority to refer adults with behavioral health needs to treatment providers instead of placing them under arrest and booking them into local jails. The
Beyond Recidivism: Investigating Comparative Educational and Employment Outcomes for Adolescents in the Juvenile and Criminal Justice Systems [2018]
While the relationship between juvenile transfer and recidivism has received much scholarly attention, the effect of transfer on other outcomes has largely been ignored. This study examined the effect of transfer on 7-year educational and employment outcomes, with time in
Borderline personality disorder symptoms and criminal justice system involvement: The roles of emotion-driven difficulties controlling impulsive behaviors and physical Aggression [2017]
Objective Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is associated with elevated risk for a variety of risky behaviors, including criminal behaviors. Yet, limited research has examined the relation of BPD to criminal justice (CJ) involvement, or the mechanisms underlying this relation. Procedures
Breaking the Cycle: Understanding the Needs of Women Involved in the Criminal Justice System and the Role of Mentoring in Promoting Desistance [2018]
An increasingly popular gender-specific intervention to assist women involved in the criminal justice system (e.g., ex-prisoners) is mentoring. However, despite the growing popularity of mentoring, there is a dearth of literature that has explored the intervention’s efficacy, particularly as it
Broken Hearts and Battered Lives: Adverse and Abusive Life Histories and Externalized Responses to Anger as Pathways to Illicit Drug Use Among Incarcerated Women [2018]
Most incarcerated women suffer from adverse and abusive life histories, including adverse childhood experiences (ACEs), such as sexual, physical, emotional abuse, and neglect, and intimate partner violence (IPV). In addition, many have difficulties regulating their anger expression and most participate
Can a Connection to Culture Reduce Mental Illness Symptoms and Risk for Future Violence? [2018]
Recent policy initiatives and service provider strategic frameworks from the state of Victoria have highlighted intentions to invest in culturally safe practices for justice‐involved Indigenous individuals. However, the culturally themed frameworks and protocols presented by health and justice organisations appear
Can Yoga Overcome Criminality? The Impact of Yoga on Recidivism in Israeli Prisons [2020]
In recent years, yoga practices have been integrated into formal prison rehabilitation programs of the Israel Prison Service (IPS), as part of the informal education system, giving rise to innovative criminological theories such as positive criminology that emphasize the development
Changes in Arrest Rate as a Function of Probation and Participant Criminal History Risk: Does Probation Work Best With Lower Risk Probationers? [2017]
The purpose of this study was to determine whether criminal history risk moderates the effect of probation on future reoffending. A sample of 327 participants from the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY97) who had been on probation were
Changes in offender-rated working alliance in probation supervision as predictors of recidivism [2020]
Although the association between working alliance and outcome is a consistent finding in voluntary psychotherapy research, there is a lack of knowledge of the significance of this concept in mandated treatment. This study examined the relationship between the offender-rated working
Characteristics and Context of Women Probationers and Parolees Who Engage in Violence [2017]
For a sample of 396 women on probation and parole, this article presents the results of qualitative analysis that shows the nature of violence for a subgroup of 75 women who were convicted of a violent act. For the full
Characteristics and Re-Offending Rates Amongst Individuals Found Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Illness (NGMI): A Comparison of Men and Women in a 25-Year Australian Cohort [2020]
In a 25-year Australian cohort of men and women found Not Guilty by reason of Mental Illness (NGMI forensic patients; N = 477), we aimed to: establish the sociodemographic, clinical and forensic characteristics of the sample, comparing men and women; to establish
Childhood Trauma in Persons With Schizophrenia and a History of Interpersonal Violence [2020]
Background: Childhood trauma is a risk factor for psychosis as well for violent behavior and offending later in life. Childhood trauma comprises subdomains of abuse and neglect that may be differently related to later violence among patients with schizophrenia. The
Childhood Victimization, Recent Injustice, Anger, and Forgiveness in a Sample of Imprisoned Male Offenders [2018]
The links between childhood victimization, subsequent emotional dysregulation, and insufficient coping skills have been repeatedly documented in the scientific literature. However, there is a gap in the literature regarding the role of forgiveness as a coping strategy and relationships between
Chronic Juvenile Offenders: Exploring Risk Factor Models of Recidivism [2018]
This study examined the relationship between known risk factors for youthful offenders and rates of recidivism using Poisson regression models. The sample consisted of 564 male and female juvenile offenders referred to the Juvenile Court Assessment Center (JCAC) by the
Clinical, Social, and Neuropsychological Dimensions of the Intersection of Addiction and Criminality [2018]
To examine the social cognitive processes underlying the relationship of addiction and criminality, we administered the Addiction Severity Index-CF (ASI-CF) and the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) to 35 participants (11 women) who had been released recently from jail or prison.
Closing the (incarceration) gap: assessing the socio-economic and clinical indicators of indigenous males by lifetime incarceration status [2020]
BackgroundApproximately 1 in 5 to 1 in 6 Indigenous Australian males are currently imprisoned or have previously been imprisoned. Recent work has also pointed to a widening socio-economic gap within the Indigenous population. Given the myriad social, wellbeing and environmental
