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.     

Why do mental health courts work? A confluence of treatment,support & adroit judicial supervision

The article contributes to the understanding of ‘what works’ in mental health courts (MHCs). There are now almost 400 MHCs in the US and more worldwide. A substantial body of evidence demonstrates that MHCs can succeed in reducing recidivism among offenders who suffer mental disorders. This article argues that MHCs succeed when they have achieved the right confluence of essential elements, including providing evidence-based treatment and psychosocial supports and using adroit judge-craft. After a brief review of some of the studies demonstrating MHC success, this article discusses the research into the necessary foundations of rehabilitation programs. It is argued that, although treatment and psychosocial services should be supplied within an evidence-based framework, neither of the two leading conceptual models – Risk–Needs–Responsivity and the Good Lives Model – are empirically proven with offenders who suffer from mental disorders. Despite the absence of proof, the Good Lives Model is argued to be appropriate for MHCs because it is normatively consonant with therapeutic jurisprudence. The MHC judge is another essential element. The judicial role is assayed to elucidate how it functions to promote the rehabilitation of offenders with mental disorders. It is argued that the role of the MHC judge during supervisory status hearings is to establish a therapeutic alliance and practice motivational psychology with each MHC participant.     

基于心理账户视阈下薪酬管理的探讨

心理账户理论是对于人们在心理上对经济结果等的编码、分类以及估价的过程研究。从心理账户的角度,探讨其对薪酬设计和员工福利的启发作用,从而能够更好地激励员工,提高薪酬管理的水平。     

论影响青少年心理健康的环境要素

儿童的心理发展在少年期(12-14岁)和青春前期(14-18岁)处于关键阶段, 在这一阶段打造的心理素质从个体来讲决定着一个人事业的成败,从群体来讲关系着一个国家、一个社会的兴衰。近年来,青少年心理健康问题日益成为人们所关注的话题。从系统论的观点看,影响青少年心理健康的外部环境包括家庭、社会、学校以及心理教育和世界观等,其中世界观具有统摄作用。要解决青少年的心理问题就要对各种客观要素进行分析,认清各要素的重要性及其相互关系,了解其中存在的问题,从而有针对性地提高青少年的心理健康水平。     

Doing time: A qualitative study of long-term incarceration and the impact of mental illness

Once convicted, the perpetrator of serious crime embarks upon a new journey: the challenge of adjusting to long-term imprisonment. Prisoners' views of incarceration and the meaning of this experience may affect their later adjustment to life in the community. On the basis of brief narrative responses collected during an epidemiological survey of the psychological health of prisoners in France, this study examined the impact of incarceration on psychological state in a group of 59 inmates serving long sentences. Qualitative content analysis and computer-assisted linguistic analysis (using ALCESTE software) were performed on the textual data of open responses to three standard questions. Using a combination of these two approaches, seven categories of the subjective experience of prisoners in the sample were identified: the Outside World, Others, Punishment, Time, Affects and Impulses, Self-Concept, and Speech. Further qualitative analyses were then performed to compare the responses of Severely Mentally Ill (SMI) subjects and subjects with no psychiatric disorder. These analyses revealed contrasting attitudes towards incarceration. SMI subjects spoke in more hostile and persecutory terms about their experience in prison, attributing suffering to external circumstances, while subjects with no psychiatric disorder evoked similar themes, but with an introspective attitude. The themes evoked by mentally ill individuals in our sample suggest that their reactions to the prison environment arise in part from aspects of their psychiatric symptoms, and this may have relevance to future mental health policy and practices in criminal corrections.     

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。     

心理服务进社区的路径与方法

社会转型期民众心理问题的凸显使得心理健康的社区支持体系构建成为迫切需要.然而心理服务进社区的路径选择需秉持两个基本理念,其一,人的心理并不是个体的一个封闭系统,而是个体与环境相互作用的开放系统,因此社区心理服务的介入取向应是"个人"兼顾"社会":其二,社会工作领域优势视角的兴起使得心理服务的过程发生重构,社区心理服务的介入模式应从"缺点"到"优势"逐步转移.基于此,心理服务进社区可通过社区发展和社区心理干预两种方式来实现,并在构建社区心理服务体系的同时,努力实现人与社会的良好适应,人的成长与社会的和谐.     

警察职业心理危机及其干预机制研究

导致警察职业心理危机存在的原因主要有职业因素、个体因素和社会因素等三个方面.公安机关应建立一套系统、有效的警察阵业心理危机干预机制.其内容包括:加强对警察行业心理危机源的控制;培养警察的自我压弹能力;加强警察危机处理方式教育;训练警察利用社会支持的意识和能力;建立危机预警机制;加强应急性心理危机干预;专业干预队伍的建设与培养.     

The Effect of Coercion on Aggression and Mental Health Among Reciprocally Violent Couples

Researchers have not investigated mental health outcomes among couples who are reciprocally violent towards each other. The present study investigated differences in partner violence (psychological, physical, and sexual) and mental health symptoms (depression, anxiety, hostility, and somatic) between two types of reciprocally violent couples: situational couple violence (SCV) and mutual control violence (MVC). SCV couples use violence to address stressful family conflicts, while MVC couples use violence as a tool to control each other. Participants (N = 609) completed surveys that contained several instruments that measured past violence, coercive behaviors, physical injuries, and mental health symptoms. Results revealed that MVC reported significantly higher levels of violent perpetration and worse physical and mental health than SCV. These findings have implications for understanding the role of coercion in partner violence and mental health, which can be used for the development of appropriate mental health services for couples who are mutually violent towards each other.     

Psychiatric Patients’ Comprehension of <Emphasis Type="Italic">Miranda</Emphasis> Rights

Seventy-five psychiatric inpatients were evaluated with respect to their Miranda-related abilities using Grisso’s (1998, Instruments for assessing understanding and appreciation of Miranda rights. Sarasota, FL: Professional Resource Press) instruments and Goldstein’s (2002, Revised instruments for assessing understanding and appreciation of Miranda rights) revision to determine: whether different versions of Miranda warnings translate into differences in understanding; the influence of psychiatric symptoms, diagnostic categories, and IQ upon Miranda comprehension; and the relative performance of persons with psychiatric impairment on Miranda-relevant abilities. Results indicated that although the Miranda language used in Goldstein’s revision generally showed lower grade reading levels and higher reading ease scores than Grisso’s original instruments, this did not translate into improved understanding. In addition, psychiatric symptoms were negatively correlated with Miranda comprehension, even after controlling for IQ. Finally, results revealed that psychiatric patients’ understanding and appreciation was substantially impaired compared to Grisso’s adult validation samples, and was roughly comparable to Grisso’s juvenile validation sample. Implications of these results for policy reform are discussed.