Mindfulness-based interventions for young offenders: a scoping review

Youth offending is a problem worldwide. Young people in the criminal justice system have frequently experienced adverse childhood circumstances, mental health problems, difficulties regulating emotions and poor quality of life. Mindfulness-based interventions can help people manage problems resulting from these experiences, but their usefulness for youth offending populations is not clear. This review evaluated existing evidence for mindfulness-based interventions among such populations. To be included, each study used an intervention with at least one of the three core components of mindfulness-based stress reduction (breath awareness, body awareness, mindful movement) that was delivered to young people in prison or community rehabilitation programs. No restrictions were placed on methods used. Thirteen studies were included: three randomized controlled trials, one controlled trial, three pre-post study designs, three mixed-methods approaches and three qualitative studies. Pooled numbers (n = 842) comprised 99% males aged between 14 and 23. Interventions varied so it was not possible to identify an optimal approach in terms of content, dose or intensity. Studies found some improvement in various measures of mental health, self-regulation, problematic behaviour, substance use, quality of life and criminal propensity. In those studies measuring mindfulness, changes did not reach statistical significance. Qualitative studies reported participants feeling less stressed, better able to concentrate, manage emotions and behaviour, improved social skills and that the interventions were acceptable. Generally low study quality limits the generalizability of these findings. Greater clarity on intervention components and robust mixed-methods evaluation would improve clarity of reporting and better guide future youth offending prevention programs

Exploring the Relationship between Prison Social Climate and Reoffending*

This study analyses the relationship between prison moral and social climate and reoffending. It relates data from the Measuring the Quality of Prison Life (MQPL) survey carried out in all prisons in England and Wales to official data on proven reoffending from the Ministry of Justice. The sample contains data from 224 prison surveys conducted between 2009 and 2013 (a total of 24,508 prisoners completed the survey). Results indicate that several of the MQPL dimensions were found to be related to rates of proven reoffending for each prison. As the MQPL survey measures the moral, relational and organisational quality of prison life for prisoners, overall these findings suggest that higher moral quality of life, or higher interior legitimacy, supports better outcomes for prisoners on release. This is consistent with theoretical expectations about the links between legitimacy, engagement in prison programmes, well-being, and compliance with the law.This work was partly supported by Her Majesty's Prison and Probation Service

Intergenerational transmission of personality disorder: general or disorder-specific?

This study investigates intergenerational relationships between the father’s personality disorder (PD) traits and the PD traits of his male and female offspring. We examine whether the intergenerational transmission of PD is due to the father transmitting a general vulnerability to all PDs, or whether the transmission is more specific to particular PDs. Structural Equation Modelling techniques are used to investigate a hypothesised model, based on Livesley’s [(2007). A framework for integrating dimensional and categorical classifications of personality disorder. Journal of Personality Disorders, 21(2), 199–224. https://doi.org/10.1521/pedi.2007.21.2.199] conceptualisation, which reorganises the DSM PD traits into four dimensions: Emotional Dysregulation, Dissocial Behaviour, Inhibitedness, and Compulsivity. General and specific transmission effects are examined for each model. The data comes from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, a large-scale prospective longitudinal survey of 411 males and their biological offspring. Findings revealed that the intergenerational transmission of PD traits from fathers to female offspring appeared to be both general and disorder-specific. Firm conclusions could not be drawn about the intergenerational transmission of PD traits from fathers to male offspring, as the data did not fit the hypothesised model

What is trauma-informed practice? Towards operationalisation of the concept in two prisons for women

Peer reviewed: True A cultural initiative, ‘Becoming Trauma-Informed’, was introduced into prisons in England and Wales from 2015 based on the work of American clinical psychologist, Dr Stephanie Covington, and as part of a more general trend towards the recognition and treatment of trauma-related conditions in the community and in mental health settings. Becoming trauma-informed training for Prison Officers in England and Wales was carried out in all 12 women’s prisons during 2015–2017 and began in the long-term high-secure male estate from May 2018. The becoming trauma-informed work is based on considerable expertise, and a deep commitment by experts and practitioners to the development of trauma-informed practice. The authors welcome this ‘trauma-turn’ in thinking and practice and describe an extended pilot attempt to operationalise and measure its impact on the prison experience. The results were disappointing. By highlighting challenges, and exploring meaning-in-practice, we hope to contribute to the improvement of these initiatives. </jats:p

The role of stocking constraints on the cost-effectiveness of vaccination against foot and mouth disease: the case of Scotland

Purpose In developed country settings, a crucial debate has revolved around the merits of stamping out versus vaccination strategies to control foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), particularly given the tradeoffs associated with the loss of export markets under the latter. However, an overlooked issue concerns the logistics of a vaccination policy itself. For instance, in case of a large outbreak, it remains an open question as to whether sufficient vaccine stocks and delivery capacity for such stocks could be mobilized adequately to cost-effectively arrest the spread of disease. If delays in vaccine delivery are large, it is possible that the effects of these delays could not only undermine the success of a vaccination campaign but also impose significant costs on scarce veterinary resources. Methods In this paper, we analyze the potential impact of vaccination constraints on simulated outbreaks of FMD in Scotland. We use an epidemiological simulation model to consider different scenarios of capacity constraints and their effects on disease evolution and direct costs. Based on an initial seeding of five infected premises in a high risk area for disease spread, we examine the distribution of cases and costs associated with various capacity and restocking scenarios. Results When initial stocks are small (e.g. 100,000 doses), large restocking delays are of particular importance. While there was little difference in average costs whether restocking occurred 14 or 28 days after order, delays of 56 days and higher rapidly increased the direct costs of control. These delays in restocking nearly doubled the average days of disease duration, causing sharp losses associated with export bans in particular. Conclusion While maintaining high initial levels of stocks reduced the cost associated with an outbreak relative to no vaccination, one needs to consider the opportunity cost with maintaining large vaccine inventories. Relevance An important implication of the analysis concerns the tradeoffs between the optimal level of vaccine stocks pre-outbreak and the ability to obtain more during an outbreak, as well as the viability of a vaccination policy itself