A comparison of the community adjustment of mentally ill offenders with those from the general prison population

In an effort to understand the relationship between crime and mental illness, mentally ill offenders (MIOs) and those from the general prison population (non-MIOs) are compared on their postprison adjustment. MIOs are defined as those individuals who required psychiatric hospitalization during their incarceration. These 547 offenders (147 MIOs and 400 non-MIOs) were then followed for 18 months from date of prison discharge. Information on their adjustment came from several sources, including correctional data, parole reports, incidence of arrests and dispositions, and rates of psychiatric hospitalization. With the exception of drug offenses, no significant differences were found in the rates or types of rearrests between the two groups. Additionally, rearrest among MIOs was found to be associated with the same standard correlates of crime found in nondisturbed offenders: age and prior criminal record. Policy implications derived from these findings are discussed.This research was supported by NIJ doctoral grant NO. 86-IJ-CX-0073. I am indebted to the people of the NY Office of Mental Health, Departmental of Correctional Services, Division of Parole, and Division of Criminal Justice Services for providing me with access to these data. I would also like to thank Dr. Hans Toch and Dr. Ken Adams for allowing me to build on their reserach. Finally, I am very grateful for the helpful comments made on previous drafts by Dr. David Griswold, Dr. Ron Jemelka, Dr. Ellen Steury, and the anonymous reviewers at the journal.     

Issues of fairness in recruitment processes: A case study of local government practice

Since the 1980s local government recruitment practices have been characterised by the development of procedures designed to promote fairness in employee selection. This article examines recruitment practice in one local authority in terms of its effectiveness in providing fairness in selection and questions its ability to meet the changing demands being placed on recruitment processes. A central argument is that an emphasis on developing recruitment procedures to demonstrate equality of treatment can overlook important social psychological factors. It concludes that although a highly structured approach to employee selection has real advantages in meeting the requirements of equal opportunities it can, paradoxically, result in negative perceptions about its fairness and effectiveness.     

Toward a theory of induced institutional innovation

In this paper we elaborate a theory of institutional innovation in which changes in the demand for institutional innovation are induced by changes in relative resource endowments and by technical change. We illustrate, from agricultural history, how changes in resource endowments and technical change have induced changes in private property rights and in the development of non‐market institutions. We also consider the impact of advances in social science knowledge and of cultural endowments on the supply of institutional change. In a final section we present the elements of a model of institutional innovation that maps the relationships among resource endowments, cultural endowments, technology, and institutions.     

Review Article: Richard rose and territorial politics

Understanding the United Kingdom: The Territorial Dimension in Government, Richard Rose, Longman, 1982, pp. 228, £4.95 (paperback).

The Territorial Dimension in United Kingdom Politics, Peter Madgwick and Richard Rose (eds), Macmillan, 1982, pp. viii + 256, £25.00.

United Kingdom Facts, Richard Rose and Ian McAllister, Macmillan, 1982, pp. x + 168, £30.00.     

Perceiving misperception

With Perry to Japan: A Memoir by William Heine, translated, with an introduction and annotations, by Frederic Trautmann. University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 1990. xv + 237 pp., illus. $32. ISBN 0-8248-1258-1.Images of Japanese Society: A Study in the Social Construction of Reality, by Ross Mouer and Yoshio Sugimoto. Kegan Paul International, London and New York, 1990. xxxii+552pp. £14.95 paperback. ISBN 0-7103-0379-3.Home, Sweet Tokyo: Life in a Weird and Wonderful City, By Rick Kennedy. Kodansha International, Tokyo and New York, 1989. 192 pp. £3.95 paperback. ISBN 0-87011-908-7.Asia in Western Fiction, edited by Robin W. Winks and James R. Rush, Manchester University Press, Manchester, 1990. x + 229 pp. £27.50. ISBN 0-7190-2906-6.     

An Evaluation of a Parent Group for Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence

Researchers continue to demonstrate the significant physical and mental health consequences to women who experience intimate partner violence (IPV) and children exposed to IPV. However, more research is needed to examine group interventions that support mothers, their children, and the parent-child relationship in the aftermath of IPV. We analyzed data provided by women who participated in a 12-week parent group. The objectives of the parent group were for mothers to better understand their children’s developmental experience of IPV and to break the secret of domestic violence in their family. The sample included 15 women who completed the group and the baseline, midpoint, and endpoint surveys. Eleven of these women also completed a semi-structured interview three months following the group. Survey items and interview topics focused on group process and outcomes. Women reported the group helped them feel less alone in their experience of IPV and they valued having a space to learn and discuss new concepts that related to their experiences and their children’s experiences of IPV. They reported more confidence in identifying their child’s feelings and being a safe person to whom their children could express their anger. Women also reported they developed greater coping and communication tools, and a strengthened mother-child bond, through group participation. Group interventions are an important format for learning and sharing for some mothers who have experienced IPV, though more evaluation is needed on what components of these group interventions are the most supportive of mothers’ healing and growth.