“Opportunity”: A documentary of Dante’s recovery journey – Made-in-Halton film chronicles journey from prison to recovery [2020]
“Most of my life was a lie…I might have believed it, but it was a lie.” That’s what 54-year old Oakville resident Dante says about his journey through mental illness and troubles with the law. Now living in recovery, he
A Needs Assessment for Planning Mental Health and Justice Housing – 2019-11-04
For people with justice involvement and mental health or addictions issues, supportive housing can foster stable lives, better health, and reduced service use. But who sets priorities when needs are complex and multiple service systems are involved? CMHA Toronto and
A quasi-experimental test of the effects of criminal justice involvement on later mental health [2018]
Objectives While many criminological theories posit causal hypotheses, many studies fail to use methods that adequately address the three criteria of causality. This is particularly important when assessing the impact of criminal justice involvement on later outcomes. Due to practical
A scoping review of military veterans involved in the criminal justice system and their health and healthcare [2019]
BackgroundIn the criminal justice system, special populations, such as older adults or patients with infectious diseases, have been identified as particularly vulnerable to poor health outcomes. Military veterans involved in the criminal justice system are also a vulnerable population warranting
An Integrative Review of Nurse-Authored Research to Improve Health Equity and Human Rights for Criminal-Justice-Involved People – 2018
Background An estimated 10 million people are incarcerated internationally, including 2.1 million people in the United States. Criminal justice involvement is a social determinant of individual and family health disparities. Health care in correctional and forensic psychiatric facilities is nurse
Building a Service Resolution Function in Toronto – Recommendations for Meeting the Needs of People with Complex Mental Health & Justice Challenges – 2015-11-18
We will present findings from our recent research conducted for the T-HSJCC, from which we developed the characteristics of distinctive models of service resolution tailored for the Toronto context, for people with complex mental health and addictions needs involved (or at
Correlates of Mental Health Diversion Completion in a Canadian Consortium – 2018
Mental health diversion is an important option for offenders with mental illness who do not pose a serious risk to public safety and who would otherwise be better served outside the criminal justice system. Predictors of complete vs. incomplete diversion
Correlates of Mental Health Diversion Completion in a Canadian Consortium – 2018-01-15
Mental health diversion is an important option for offenders with mental illness who do not pose a serious risk to public safety and who would otherwise be better served outside the criminal justice system. Predictors of complete vs. incomplete diversion
Court diversion for those with psychosis and its impact on re-offending rates: results from a longitudinal data-linkage study [2019]
Background With significant numbers of individuals in the criminal justice system having mental health problems, court-based diversion programmes and liaison services have been established to address this problem. Aims To examine the effectiveness of the New South Wales (Australia) court
Court diversion for those with psychosis and its impact on re-offending rates: results from a longitudinal data-linkage study [2019]
Background With significant numbers of individuals in the criminal justice system having mental health problems, court-based diversion programmes and liaison services have been established to address this problem. Aims To examine the effectiveness of the New South Wales (Australia) court
Court diversion for those with psychosis and its impact on re-offending rates: results from a longitudinal data-linkage study [2019]
Background With significant numbers of individuals in the criminal justice system having mental health problems, court-based diversion programmes and liaison services have been established to address this problem. Aims To examine the effectiveness of the New South Wales (Australia) court
Enacting lived experiences: Peer specialists with criminal justice histories [2019]
Objective: Peer specialists are frequently employed in mental health settings, with growing evidence for positive impact on subjective aspects of recovery. As more individuals within the mental health system have criminal justice involvement, peer specialists with incarceration histories are increasingly
Engaging “seldom heard” groups in research and intervention development: Offender mental health [2018]
Background People subject to the criminal justice system often have substantially different life‐experiences from the general population. Patient and public involvement (PPI) of “seldom heard” groups provides valuable experiential knowledge, enhancing research. Objective To share our jointly developed techniques to
Exploration of joint working practices on anti-social behaviour between criminal justice, mental health and social care agencies: A qualitative study – 2018
Although the police play an important role for people with mental health problems in the community, little is known about joint working practices between mental health, social care and police services. There is potential for tensions and negative outcomes for
Exploration of joint working practices on anti‐social behaviour between criminal justice, mental health and social care agencies: A qualitative study – 2018
Although the police play an important role for people with mental health problems in the community, little is known about joint working practices between mental health, social care and police services. There is potential for tensions and negative outcomes for
Facilitators and Barriers to Building Collaborative and Sustainable Interventions – 2019-11-04
Over the past decade, considerable resources have been spent to implement and validate innovative programs and strategies in youth justice. As these evidence-based programs have proliferated and matured, the need for research to understand the conditions and processes necessary to
Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder: diminished responsibility and mitigation of sentence [2017]
Objective: The objective of this study was to consider the implications of a recent Western Australia Court of Appeal decision in which an indigenous youth who had been sentenced for the manslaughter of his neonate child was later diagnosed with
Fitness to stand trial and criminal responsibility assessments: Advocating for changes to the Canadian criminal code [2019]
Assessments of both fitness to stand trial and criminal responsibility are common, complex forensic evaluations with substantial societal implications. Currently in Canada, medical practitioners, in particular psychiatrists, conduct the vast majority of assessments of fitness to stand trial and criminal
Forensic Mental Health and Justice Services in Ontario – 2019-11-05
The 2019 Ontario Budget announced investments of $174 million in 2019-20 to support community mental health and addictions services, mental health and justice services, supportive housing, and acute mental health inpatient beds. This presentation will focus on new investments in
Health-care system failed Ottawa man, judge says – CBC – 2018-02-16
An Ottawa judge released a mentally ill man from custody Friday, saying he had languished in jail for five months because the healthcare system failed to find him a secure home. Justice Peter Doody of the Ontario Court of Justice
How We Got Here – The Northwest Community Mobilization Network
Over the last 12 months and beyond, the Northwest Center of Responsibility (formerly known as the NWR-HSJCC) has transitioned their HSJCCs by incorporating principles of the Hub/Situation Table model into its structure. This has led to the establishment of
Human rights-based approaches to mental health legislation and global mental health – 2018
Globally, established practice in mental health services has tended to be codified into law in ways that are paternalistic, seeking to make decisions for patients that presume ‘best interest’ and which ultimately place power in the hands of medical authority.
Impact of Veteran Status and Timing of PTSD Diagnosis on Criminal Justice Outcomes [2018]
Previous research has demonstrated that jurors show a bias towards treatment for veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The present research examines this bias when jurors are faced with cases of potential malingering, in which the defendant’s claim of PTSD
Interagency collaboration models for people with mental ill health in contact with the police: a systematic scoping review [2017]
Objective To identify existing evidence on interagency collaboration between law enforcement, emergency services, statutory services and third sector agencies regarding people with mental ill health. Design Systematic scoping review. Scoping reviews map particular research areas to identify research gaps. Data
Intersectional Trauma-Responsive Care: A Framework for Humanizing Care for Justice Involved Girls and Women of Color [2019]
Previous scholarship around intersectional frameworks and theories of gendered pathways has provided an invaluable lens in which to view women’s contact with the justice system. The current theory builds from this scholarship, and sets forth an Intersectional Trauma-Responsive Framework that
Making sense of interactions between mental health and criminal justice services: the utility of cultural historical activity systems theory – 2018
Purpose Effective collaboration between mental health services (MHS) and criminal justice services (CJS) impacts on mental illness and reduces reoffending rates. This paper proposes the change laboratory model (CLM) of workplace transformation as a potential tool to support interagency collaborative
Making sense of interactions between mental health and criminal justice services: the utility of cultural historical activity systems theory – 2018
Purpose Effective collaboration between mental health (MHS) and criminal justice services (CJS) impacts on mental illness and reduces reoffending rates. This paper proposes the Change Laboratory Model (CLM) of workplace transformation as a potential tool to support interagency collaborative practice
Medication state at the time of the offense: Medication noncompliance, insight and criminal responsibility – 2018
This study used a mixed quantitative‐qualitative methodology to examine whether mock jurors considered a defendant’s meta‐responsibility – specifically, the defendant’s medication noncompliance and degree of insight into his/her schizophrenia – when determining the person’s criminal responsibility. The degree of expert
Medication-Assisted Treatment (MAT) in the Criminal Justice System: Brief Guidance to the States [2019-03]
This brief provides guidance to state governments on increasing the availability of evidence-based medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in criminal justice (CJ) settings. By including the criminal justice system as a path to treatment, states may see an increase in access to
Mental Health Diversion Program – 2015-11-17
People living with mental health symptoms or diagnosis, or a developmental disability may access alternatives to criminal prosecution. This process is known as a mental health diversion. If the Crown Attorney believes the symptoms of mental health are related to the
Mental Health Peer Navigators: Working With Criminal Justice–Involved Populations [2017]
Although peer navigators have gained traction within health care, they are still a relatively new feature of criminal justice–involved organizations. Based on data gathered from interviews, nonparticipant observations, and focus groups from a nonprofit that employs peer navigators to assist
Mental Illness Is Not a Crime – Psychology Today [2018-10-13]
There is nothing criminal about being diagnosed with mental illness. Nevertheless, according to data from the Bureau of Justice Statistics, nearly 40% of inmates in state and federal prisons have a history of mental illness. Nearly 15% meet criteria for
Methodological limitations in the measurement and statistical modeling of violence among adults with mental illness [2019]
Objectives Methodological limitations of extant research hinder the development of effective violence risk screening, assessment, and management strategies for adults with mental illness. This study quantifies the effects of three common limitations: (a) insensitive measurement of violence that results in
Mobilizing Communities, Preventing Harm – The North West Community Mobilization Network – 2019-11-05
This presentation will provide an overview of the Northwest Regional Centre of Responsibility (formerly the Northwest Regional HSJCC). It will explain how the Kenora Rainy River District HSJCC and Northwest Regional HSJCC integrated principles of the Hub/Situation Table model into
Moral Challenges for Psychologists Working in Psychology and Law [2018]
States have an obligation to protect themselves and their citizens from harm, and they use the coercive powers of law to investigate threats, enforce rules and arbitrate disputes, thereby impacting on people’s well-being and legal rights and privileges. Psychologists as
Narratives of illness and offending: mentally disordered offenders’ views on their offending [2018]
Narratives have been used in both the sociology of health and illness and in criminology to examine how groups of people present themselves in moral terms. This article focuses on the narratives of offenders with mental health problems in England
Navigating the Criminal Justice and Mental Health Systems – 2015-11-17
The mental health and criminal justice systems map – which aims to assist individuals who have come into contact with the law, their friends and family, and service providers, in navigating the two systems – will be outlined. Local and Regional
Offenders living with mental illness: How are they perceived by future professionals? – 2018-02
Summary This study investigates the attitudes of Criminal Justice and Social Work majors toward offenders living with mental illness. Multivariate regression analyses were used to explore differences in attitudes between student majors, controlling for factors such as age, race, and
Older Adults and the Justice System – 2019-11-04
For the first time ever, there are more Canadians aged 65 and older than Canadians below age 15. All areas of the justice system are encountering the older adult population daily and with increasing frequency. Many of these cases pertain
Organizational structure, climate, and collaboration between juvenile justice and community mental health centers: implications for evidence-based practice implementation for adolescent substance use disorder treatment [2020]
BackgroundSubstance use disorders are prevalent among youth involved with the criminal justice system, however, evidence-based substance use disorder treatment is often unavailable to this population. The goal of this study was to identify barriers to effective implementation of evidence-based practices
Outcome of serious violent offenders with psychotic illness and cognitive disorder dealt with by the New South Wales criminal justice system – 2018
Background: The few studies of the recidivism by people with psychotic illness and cognitive disorder who are convicted of serious violent offences and sentenced by the courts. Method: Re-imprisonment data were obtained for 661 individuals convicted of serious non-lethal violent
Predicting program success for adult offenders with serious mental illness in a court ordered diversion program – 2018
Individuals with mental illnesses are disproportionately involved with the criminal justice system and are now being diverted from jails to community-based supervision. This study examines secondary data from a state hospital, mental health diversion program. Logistic regression was used to
Predicting program success for adult offenders with serious mental illness in a court ordered diversion program [2018]
Individuals with mental illnesses are disproportionately involved with the criminal justice system and are now being diverted from jails to community-based supervision. This study examines secondary data from a state hospital, mental health diversion program. Logistic regression was used to
Predicting Which Clinically Documented Incidents of Aggression Lead to Findings of Guilt in a Forensic Psychiatric Sample [2020]
This study identified factors that predicted which of 713 clinically documented incidents of aggression—threats to kill, assault, or sexual assault—committed by 404 forensic psychiatric patients were linked to court findings of guilt. Individuals had, on average, 1.7 aggressive incidents and
Prevalence of mental disorders among all justice-involved: A population-level study in Canada [2019]
More than 10 million people are imprisoned around the world, with many more who encounter the justice system. However, most studies examining the mental health burden in the justice system have examined only incarcerated individuals, with few looking at both
Principles of Community-based Behavioral Health Services for Justice-involved Individuals: A Research-based Guide [2019-03]
This guide provides information and practices that behavioral health providers can implement in their daily practice with patients or clients who are involved in the criminal justice system. Find the guide here Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services AdministrationMarch 2019
Psychiatric Disorders and Crime in the US Population: Results From the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions Wave III [2019]
Objective: Current knowledge regarding the intersection of psychiatric disorders and crime in the United States is limited to psychiatric, forensic, and youth samples. This study presents nationally representative data on the relationship of DSM-5 psychiatric disorders, comorbid substance and mental
Psychopathic costs: a monetization study of the fiscal toll of psychopathy features among institutionalized delinquents – 2017-12
Purpose That psychopathy imposes substantial societal costs and economic burden is axiomatic, but monetization studies have overlooked cost estimates of the disorder. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach Drawing on a near census of institutionalized delinquents from Missouri,
Recovery, desistance, and the role of procedural justice in working alliances with mentally ill offenders: a critical review [2019]
Recovery and desistance in mentally ill offenders can be more complicated than in respectively general psychiatric or offender populations due to factors and processes on individual, contextual and structural levels. In this paper we focus on a specific element of
Reliability and Validity of START and LSI-R Assessments in Mental Health Jail Diversion Clients [2017]
Risk assessment instruments are increasingly used in mental health jail diversion programs. This study examined the reliability and validity of Short-Term Assessment of Risk and Treatability (START) and Level of Service Inventory–Revised (LSI-R) assessments overall and by client race. Research
