Substance abusers in jail: Health service breakdown in five New York jails

The New York State Commission of Correction Medical Review Board studied five inmate mortalities which occurred between 1986 and 1989 in different New York State jails. The jails varied in size and in health care delivery capacity, but shared several characteristics, particularly severe overcrowding, high annual rates of population growth, and high concentrations of substance abusing inmates. Each inmate mortality case revealed an unprepared failure in health care delivery in which, absent such failure, the outcome may have been different. Influx of ever-increasing numbers of acutely and chronically ill substance abusers under overcrowded conditions intensifies demand on unprepared health care systems which increasingly break down. Jail health care systems should be evaluated in light of current population size and changing inmate health care needs.     

The relationship between trauma and violence in a jail inmate sample

Research suggests there is a link between trauma and violence, although the nature of the relationship is rather equivocal. This study explored this relationship by examining self-reported trauma as a predictor of self-reported violence in 93 jail inmates. Ninety-six percent of the sample reported experiencing a traumatic event, and 67% reported having been violent during the year preceding incarceration. Inmates reporting trauma were more than twice as likely to report having been violent than nonviolent. Stepwise multiple regression analyses suggested traumatic events, as a combined model, significantly contributed to violence perpetration. In addition, witnessing serious violence predicted perpetration of violence. Implications and limitations of the present study are discussed.     

The impact of density on jail violence

The operation of jails over their rated capacities is frequently thought of as a major contributor to increased tension among inmates, an additional burden on corrections officers, and a hindrance to classification procedures. The increased tensions combined with difficult working conditions are expected by administrators to contribute to correctional violence. Data for the current study were collected from 646 jails. Spatial density was found to be a significant predictor of inmate–inmate and inmate–staff assaults, but not in the manner that was expected. Increased density was associated with lower assault rates in the participating facilities. The measures of social density were not associated with either type of assaults once other variables, such as jail-level inmate characteristics or inmate supervision variables were considered. Variables such as aggregate inmate age, race, trial status, inmate/officer ratio, transiency of the jail population, and the use of direct supervision were included in the analysis.     

Using police arrest and clearance data to estimate the number of burglars operating in a suburban county

A version of a model developed by Willmer (1970) is used to estimate the number of people committing burglaries, the percentage apprehended, and other characteristics of the criminal population. It is found that the model holds substantial promise and should be pursued further. Use of the model with data from Montgomery County, Maryland indicated that although clearance rates there are low for burglary, it may be that a high percentage of the people committing burglaries are caught by the police at one time or another over the course of a year—perhaps four times as many as the clearance rate would indicate.     

The problem of co-occurring disorders among jail detainees

This paper documents the degree and pattern of overlap of antisocial disorder. alcoholism. drug use disorders, and major depression among 688 randomly selected male jail detainees. Diagnostic assessments were made using the NIMH Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Data indicate that multiple disorders are a serious problem among male detainees. Detainees were more likely to have two or three disorders than to have a single disorder. Of detainees, 44% had a lifetime prevalence of two or more of these syndromes. Few subjects with multiple disorders were found to have primary, or initial onset of, substance abuse disorders or primary depression. Rather, antisocial disorder predominated as the primary syndrome in diagnostic profiles. The preponderance of antisocial disorder among codisordered detainees is disturbing because it is a poor prognostic indicator. Implications for substance abuse intervention, treatment of depression, and intervention with antisocial personality disorder among detainees are discussed.     

南方汉族、黎族人群15个STR基因座频率调查

目的调查南方汉族、黎族人群无关个体的15个STR基因座(D8S1179、D21S11、D7S820、CSF1PO、D3S1358、TH01、D13S317、D16S539、D2S1338、D19S433、vWA、TPOX、D18S51、D5S818、FGA)多态性,研究其在法医学检验中的应用价值。方法应用AmpFlSTRIdentifilerTM荧光标记复合扩增系统对南方332例汉族、334例黎族无关个体血样DNA进行15个STR基因座的复合扩增,用ABI3100遗传分析仪对扩增产物进行检测,用GeneScan、GenoTyper软件进行基因分型,统计计算15个STR基因座的群体遗传学参数。结果IdentifilerTM荧光标记系统的15个STR基因座在南方汉族、黎族人群的累积偶合率分别为4.94×10-17、2.50×10-17,累积非父排除率分别为0.9999989、0.9999988。结论该15个STR基因座足可满足南方汉族、黎族法医学的个体识别及亲权鉴定的需要。     

Mayberry revisited: The characteristics and operations of America's small jails

Much attention has been focused on the problems of America's prisons and jails. Jail research and often jail litigation have centered on large county or municipal jails; often these resemble correctional systems and are so called. Yet many of the nation's 3041 counties are small, rural, and sparsely populated. In a 1982 survey conducted by the National Sheriffs' Association, 640 jails had bed space for 16 or fewer inmates. Many of these jails suffer from the same kinds of deficiencies as large jails, although these problems are not exacerbated by size. Most jails suffer from lack of adequate funding, but for small jails this is a particularly acute problem which affects all facets of operations.

Data from the 1983 National Jail Census and the 1982 National Sheriffs' Association survey are used to develop a profile of the overlooked but important small jail, defined for our purposes as a facility capable of housing ten or fewer inmates. This profile indicates that small jails are older, have less cell capacity, and provide fewer health and rehabilitation services than their larger counterparts. The national prevalence of small jails and some of their notable deficiencies suggest that alternatives to these facilities be considered.     

The effectiveness of interactive journaling in reducing recidivism among substance-dependent jail inmates

The present study sought to evaluate the influence of interactive journaling on criminal recidivism and identify significant predictors of recidivism among a sample of 183 male inmates incarcerated in a local jail facility randomly assigned to either an interactive journaling condition or a control group. All participants met DSM-IV-TR criteria for substance dependence, had their current offense indicate substance involvement, and had a minimum of one previous arrest in the prior 12 months. The recidivism rate (51%), in terms of subsequent bookings within a 12-month period, for the journaling group was significantly lower than the recidivism rate (66%) for the control group, χ(2)(1, 183) = 4.13, p < .05. The three most significant independent predictors of subsequent bookings were severity of posttraumatic stress disorder, group assignment (journaling vs. placebo), and employment status. Interactive journaling appears to show promise as a brief treatment intervention strategy for substance dependence in local jail settings and may have the potential for reducing recidivism.     

Genetic analysis of six STR polymorphisms in a southern Chinese population

POPULATION: A total of 105 unrelated and healthy individuals from the Han ethnic group of Nanning city in south China.     

Sociological, social psychological, and psychopathological correlates of substance use disorders in the U.S. jail population

The objective of this study was to examine sociological, social psychological, and psychopathological correlates of substance abuse disorders in a nationally representative sample of jail inmates. Criminal history and clinical factors most strongly differentiated convicted inmates with and without substance use disorders regardless of current index offense. Policy implications are discussed in terms of targeting antisocial attitudes and peer associations and more effective clinical treatments for substance use disorders among the inmate population. High rates of co-occurring depression symptoms and anger dyscontrol found among inmates with substance use disorders in this study underscore the need for assessment and evaluation of specialized programs for co-occurring disorders and anger management programs among U.S. inmates.     

Correlates of jail crowding in the United States

Jail populations across the United States have grown dramatically over the last decade. However, research on the correlates and causes of jail crowding is very rare. This study examined several structural, legal, demographic and socio-demographic correlates to the degree to which a jail’s average daily population was under or over the jail’s rated capacity during 1983. Results suggest that there might be a variety of contributing factors to jail crowding in the United States. These factors include a jurisdiction’s serious crime rate, available resources for incapacitation relative to the number of convicted criminal defendants, degree of urbanism, degree of political conservativism, degree of prison crowding in a state, types of jail standards and inspection intervals, and the type of jail facility.     

A comparative analysis of jails in the United States and Bangladesh

There are comparative analyses in the current criminal justice literature but few focus on Asian cultures and even fewer compare Muslim countries with the United States. While comprehensive comparative studies are needed, preliminary studies that correlate the functional similarities and differences are also necessary. Hence, the purpose of this paper is to conduct a comparative analysis of the jails in Bangladesh and the United States. The data for this study are taken directly from Bangladesh population summary reports and a matched sample of American Jails from the Bureau of Justice Statistics Jail Census (1990). The comparative data are key functional measures from each country and are used as the basis for classifying the jails into two groups. The findings indicate that there are key differentiating variables (crowding and population turnover) that allow one to classify the jails in the two nations. Although this study provides clear evidence for the differences between American and Bangladeshi jails, further in‐depth analyses should follow.     

Correctional destabilization and jail violence: The consequences of prison depopulation legislation

Purpose

This study explored the effects of prison depopulation on local jail violence through a general systems perspective – where an abrupt shift in the processing of offenders had the potential to create ripple effects through other organizations – of the criminal justice system.

Methods

In 2011, California passed the Criminal Justice Realignment legislation aimed to reduce prison population by making low-level felony offenders ineligible for state incarceration and diverting those already in state prison for the included offenses from state to county-level community supervision once paroled. This study incorporated bivariate and negative binomial regression analyses to model officially-recorded county jail panel data to estimate the effects of state prison depopulation on California county jails.

Results

Findings demonstrated support for the general systems framework as there was a significant decrease in jail utility in the bivariate analysis and a significant increase in jail violence in the multivariate analysis associated with passage of California’s prison depopulation legislation.

Conclusions

The results supported the notion of an interconnected criminal justice system. Policy implications include the consequences of increased violence on jail operations, the potential for a cadre of habitual offenders, and generalizing these findings to the community.     

The effect of rural population on homicide rates across the rural-urban continuum: A county level analysis

Using 3,130 counties and equivalents in the United States for 1980, this paper provides a test of the effects of rural population and its component parts, controlling for other factors, on homicide rates, across the rural-urban continuum. The results indicate that the percent rural population of a county continues to have an inhibitory effect upon homicide. However, this result is influenced by the rural-urban context of the county.     

在押犯人精神障碍的特征及其预防

本文回顾了近年来一些国外学者对此问题的探索，总结在押犯人中各种精神障碍的流行病学研究及特征，结合我国实际情况，建立专门的精神障碍治疗机构和对其进行医疗服务。