The Need for Continuity of Care in the Criminal Justice System

People with mental health and substance use disorders who would benefit from treatment are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. It has been reported that 63% of individuals in jail and 58% of individuals in prison meet the criteria for having a substance use disorder, and 36% of the population serving a state prison sentence were being treated for a mental health disorder, which is 17% higher than the general population in Tennessee. Justice-involved individuals with mental health and substance use disorders have a higher risk of recidivism, especially when they lack access to medications and behavioral health treatments both during and after incarceration. However, despite this heightened prevalence and treatment need, criminal justice entities rarely have the resources needed to ensure at-risk individuals receive continuous evidence-based care. Given Tennessee’s incarceration rate has risen to 10% above the national average, and almost half of all incarcerated individuals are rearrested within three years of release, it is critical for individuals to have access to continuous care both during incarceration and at reentry into the community

Street-level colorism: racial/ethnic dyads and variation in the characteristics of violent outcomes

We utilize NIBRS and ACS data, concepts advanced by macro-structural opportunity theory and the racial threat thesis, and a multi-level modeling lens to examine the odds of weapon use and victim injury during violent incidents across racial dyads

Community policing and youth offending: a comparison of large and small jurisdictions in the United States

Over the last two decades, the implementation of community-oriented practices has been a primary focus of American policing. Supporters of this approach suggest that a partnership between police, community members, and service agencies can strengthen the welfare of young individuals in the community. Relying on Census, Uniform Crime Report, and Law Enforcement Management and Administrative Statistics data, the current study aims to identify the association between community policing practices and arrests of young individuals for violent offences. Findings suggest that the relationship between violent crime arrest counts and implementation of COP strategies is relative to the size of the jurisdiction and age group being examined. These effects are inversely related to violent crime arrest counts among juveniles and young adults in large jurisdictions, suggesting the implementation of COP is successful in reducing levels of violence in urban settings. Based on these results, policy implications and future directions for research are discussed

Fear of crime & mass media consumption

Race, gender, and exposure to various types of media have been identified as important predictors of fear of crime (Callanan 2012; Schafer, Huebner, and Bynum 2006; Smith and Torstensson 1997). However, previous research has largely failed to take an intersectional approach when testing this relationship. Our research finds evidence that the relationship between media consumption and fear of crime is explained differently across race and gender combinations. This identifies a need for future intersectional research on fear of crime

Gauging support for the death penalty in cases of sexual assault: the interplay between respondent characteristics and victim age

We extend this line of inquiry by asking survey respondents to indicate their support for application of the death penalty in cases of rape/sexual assault across multiple victim age categories. Logistic regression is used

College student perceptions of system-culpability in the frequency of wrongful convictions: gauging the importance of respondent characteristics

We examined the influence of survey respondent characteristic on perceptions of the culpability of criminal justice actors, contamination of forensic evidence, and mistaken eyewitness testimony in the frequency of wrongful convictions

Recruitment Strategies in the Studies of Left-ventricular Dysfunction (solvd) - Strategies for Screening and Enrollment in 2 Concurrent But Separate Trials

SOLVD was a double-masked, placebo-controlled trial whose initial sample size goal was to randomize 6100 participants into two concurrent trials: treatment and prevention. The objective was to determine if participants with severe left ventricular dysfunction (left ventricular ejection fraction less-than-or-equal-to 35%, with congestive heart failure (2569) and participants without overt heart failure (4228) had improved survival with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors. Participants were identified from cardiac catheterization, echocardiography and radionuclide laboratories, and inpatient units. The treatment trial recruitment goal was attained 13 months ahead of schedule while recruitment for the prevention trial was extended 11 months beyond the scheduled time. Recruitment of relatively asymptomatic participants with a low ejection fraction in a hospital-based trial necessitated novel strategies. Coronary care units and clinics for follow-up of acute cardiac conditions, not typically employed in studies of chronic diseases, were useful recruitment sources. Different approaches to encourage participation also needed to be employed. Expanding selected entry criteria was evaluated and the success of varying strategies was reviewed. The authors recommend tailoring of strategies to the target population, staffing flexibility, principal investigator involvement, and broad entry criteria in recruitment activities

Substance Misuse and Incarceration in Tennessee

Key Points Corrections in Tennessee cost over $1 billion annually due to a rising incarceration rate. The State’s increasing incarceration rate is related to the growth in substance misuse which on its own costs Tennessee$2 billion each year and leads to over $1 billion in lost income from a shrinking work force. Prioritizing evidence-based treatment that targets the underlying medical and behavioral issues driving addictive habits for justice-involved individuals could simultaneously address rising recidivism, reincarceration, and growing substance misuse. See report attached, and for additional information, visit https://smart.tennessee.edu/policy-briefs/substance-misuse-incarceration-tn/