Baseline subjective stress predicts 1-year outcomes among drug court clients

Psychological stress has long been known to predict negative changes in physical and behavioral health in the general population. The same relationships have been found in research on drug abusers. In this longitudinal study, 477 clients of two Kentucky drug courts were followed for 1 year to examine the relationship between subjective stress at intake and outcomes 1 year after the baseline of this 18-month drug court program. Greater baseline subjective stress was significantly associated with poorer employment, substance use, criminal justice, and health outcomes at 1-year follow-up, even after adjusting for selected demographic characteristics and baseline levels of the outcomes of interest. If these results are replicated in these and other drug courts, then a stress reduction treatment trial within the drug court context should be attempted and evaluated.     

Observations of reintegrative shaming in a mental health court

This study compares the use of stigmatizing and reintegrative shame - as specified in Braithwaite's Crime, shame and reintegration (1989) - across traditional criminal court and mental health court settings. Items from the Global Observational Ratings Instrument were used to gather data on 87 traditional court cases and 91 mental health court cases, presided over by five different judges. The observational items capture three constructs: respect, disapproval, and forgiveness, as they apply to Braithwaite's theory. We present means tests to examine differences in shaming between court types and judges. Findings show that the mental health court is more likely to use reintegrative shaming and show respect and forgiveness for offenders, and less likely to show disapproval. Similarly, judges who preside in both court types are significantly more likely to practice reintegrative shaming in the mental health court context. We further explore these findings using field notes and illustrate those components of a mental health court that are conducive to reintegrative shaming.     

Long-term recidivism of mental health court defendants

The first MHC was established in 1997 and now, over 15 years later, there are over 300 mental health courts in the United States. In a relatively short time these courts have become an established criminal justice intervention for persons with a mental illness. However, few studies have looked at the long-term outcomes of MHCs on criminal recidivism. Of the studies evaluating the impact of MHCs on criminal recidivism, most follow defendants after entry into the court during their participation, and only a few have followed defendants after court exit for periods of one or two years. This study follows MHC defendants for a minimum of five years to examine recidivism post-exit with particular attention to MHC completion's effect. Findings show that 53.9% of all MHC defendants were rearrested in the follow-up and averaged 15 months to rearrest. Defendants who completed MHC were significantly less likely to be rearrested (39.6% vs. 74.8%), and went longer before recidivating (17.15 months vs. 12.27 months) than those who did not complete. This study suggests that MHCs can reduce criminal recidivism among offenders with mental illness and that this effect is sustained for several years after defendants are no longer under the court's supervision.     

美国精神卫生法庭及对我国的借鉴

精神卫生法庭是一种专门处理涉及精神障碍案件的法庭模式,目的在于将卷入司法系统但是需要治疗的精神障碍者送往合适的医疗机构进行治疗,并由法庭对治疗的过程进行监督和协调,以减少精神障碍者的再次犯罪率,从而节约医疗和司法成本.本文介绍美国精神卫生法庭的定义、操作方法、效果及存在的问题,提出了美国精神卫生法庭制度对我国处理卷入司法系统的精神障碍者的借鉴意义.     

Effect of behavioral health services and neighborhood disadvantages on recidivism: a comparison of mental health court and traditional court participants

Journal of Experimental Criminology - This study investigates the impact of behavioral health services and neighborhood disadvantage on recidivism among offenders with mental illness in mental...     

Models of mental health service delivery to correctional institutions

The mentally disordered offender falls into the "no man's land" between prison and mental health systems. A number of reasons are given to explain why mental health service to this special group is in crisis again, and to lay the base for understanding the advantages and disadvantages of five different models of service delivery. The authors conclude by favoring small psychiatric units attached to major prisons.     

Predicting sentencing outcomes and time served for juveniles transferred to criminal court in a rural northwestern state

In the past few decades, the focus of the juvenile justice system shifted from the best interests of the child to the best interests of society. One component of the shift was an increase in the waiver of juveniles to adult criminal court. Prior research suggested juveniles were typically sentenced to short prison sentences or probation in the adult criminal court. On the other hand, more recent evidence suggested sentencing outcomes had varied by offense type. In the present study, the author examined what occurred in a primarily rural northwestern state. Additionally, multivariate analyses were used to examine which factors aided in predicting sentencing outcomes and time served for this population.     

Integrating the American criminal justice and mental health service systems to focus on victimization

Although most research and policy in the mental health and criminal justice arenas have operated independently of one another, there is a growing consensus suggesting the need for an integration of these two disparate, yet complementary systems. Furthermore, in light of the adverse mental health consequences that often accompany victimization experiences, it is apparent that these two systems should develop and foster overlapping services for crime victims. The research reviewed herein provides an examination of issues such as these, identifies some of the barriers that stand in the way of a successful integration of the two systems, and attempts to provide some guidance and direction for future integrated mental health and criminal justice system approaches. An outline of research gaps and directions for future study are offered for the integration of criminal justice and mental health systems, as such collaborations are likely to alleviate some of the deleterious mental health outcomes evident among crime victims and at the same time reduce the occurrence of repeat victimization.     

英国精神病法庭辩护简介

在英国,精神科医生常常以专家证人的身份涉入诉讼,提供专家证言。如果专家的证言对自己的辩护有利,律师会在法庭上出具专家证言或安排专家出庭作证;否则,证言将不被提交法庭。陪审团根据专家证言的说服力决定是否采纳。控辩双方都可以聘请专家证人。理论上,控辩双方都可以找到支持自己主张的专家证言。当双方所聘请的专家意见相左时,由陪审团做出取舍,法庭据此做出判决。当然,由于陪审团成员缺乏精神病学的专业知识,在取舍时也很困难。在英国,精神病法庭辩护主要有3大类:(1)因精神病无受审能力辩护(Notfittostandtrial);(2)因精神病无诉讼…     

英国精神病法庭辩护简介

在英国，精神科医生常常以专家证人的身份涉入诉讼，提供专家证言。如果专家的证言对自己的辩护有利，律师会在法庭上出具专家证言或安排专家出庭作证；否则，证言将不被提交法庭。陪审团根据专家证言的说服力决定是否采纳。控辩双方都可以聘请专家证人。理论上，控辩双方都可以找到支持自己主张的专家证言。当双方所聘请的专家意见相左时，由陪审团做出取舍，法庭据此做出判决。当然，由于陪审团成员缺乏精神病学的专业知识，在取舍时也很困难。     

The mental health service crisis of neoliberalism -- an antipodean perspective

Major transformations in forms of governance of the liberal state have been wrought over the course of the last century, including the rise of neoliberalism and 'new public management.' Mental health too has witnessed change, with pharmacological treatment displacing residential care, a shift to community-based services, mainstreaming with general health care, and greater reliance on civil society institutions such as the family or markets. This article considers whether mental health law, and its court/tribunal 'gatekeepers' have kept pace with those changes. It argues that the focus of the liberal project needs to shift to measures which will better guarantee access to mental health services, and keep a more watchful eye on both 'hidden' coercion of people on community treatment orders, and passive neglect of human need.     

Estimating mental health needs and service utilization among prison inmates.

A sample of 3,684 inmates in the New York State prison system was surveyed in May 1986 to determine the prevalence of psychiatric and functional disability and service utilization. It was estimated that 5 percent had a severe psychiatric disability, and 10 percent had significant psychiatric disability. The higher the level of disability, the greater the proportion of inmates that had received mental health services in the last 30 days and in the last year. Still, 45 percent of the severe disability group had no service contacts in the last year. Patterns of utilization differed significantly by sex (a greater proportion of women received services) and by race (a greater proportion of whites received services). The clinical factors associated with receipt of services varied considerably between men and women.