Empathy, Acceptance of Responsibility, and Compelled Testimony in Juvenile Transfer Hearings: Legal Context and Empirical Evidence

There are a number of legal decisions in which the court must decide whether juveniles can be rehabilitated. Such decisions include juvenile adjudication/placement, waiver, and reverse waiver.1 The criterion used by courts to consider rehabilitation amenability is typically phrased in a way similar to that described under Pennsylvania state law.2 In deciding whether a child may be decertified (reverse waived from criminal to juvenile court), the court can consider. whether the child is amenable to treatment, supervision, or rehabilitation as a juvenile. The court may consider the following in determining treatment, supervision, or rehabilitation amenability: (a) age, (b) mental capacity, (c) maturity, (d) degree of criminal sophistication, (e) previous records, (f) nature and extent of any prior delinquent history, including the success or failure of any previous attempts by the juvenile court to rehabilitate, (g) whether the child can be rehabilitated prior to the expiration of the juvenile court jurisdiction, (h) probation or institutional reports, (i) any other relevant factors, and (j) whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that the child is not committable to an institution for the mentally retarded or mentally ill.3 Empathy for the victims of the defendant’s offenses, and acceptance of responsibility for such offenses, may be considered by mental health and justice professionals working with post-adjudicated youth. But rendering an expert opinion that describes the youth’s capacity for empathy or acceptance of responsibility, when that opinion is based in part on questions concerning the alleged offense, places the evaluating expert in an awkward position. To what extent can denial of culpability be used to infer limited empathy and acceptance of responsibility? How does the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination factor into this consideration

Self-reported and LS/CMI measured risk factors: Relation to RNR adherence and criminal recidivism

Our criminal justice system has struggled to identify models that effectively reduce the risk of recidivism among offenders. Increasingly, the role of risk/need assessments in offender rehabilitation has been described, and the results of these assessments are frequently used for intervention planning or classification decision-making. As such, this study had two aims. First, this study aimed to examine the effectiveness of the risk-need-responsivity model in reducing recidivism among a sample of N=71 male offenders at a reentry facility. A measure was developed to assess adherence to the RNR model by identifying the match between the risk level and criminogenic needs identified by the Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI), and services received during participation in reentry programming. Rearrest data were available for one year and 16-month follow-up periods. Analyses revealed that there was no significant relationship between level of RNR adherence and rearrest. This relationship remained non-significant when controlling for overall risk level.Second, this study explored the relationship between assessment-identified and self-identified risk factors, with the aim of determining whether level of insight into ones own risk factors is associated with recidivism . A subsample of 65 participants was included in analyses. Results revealed that the level of concordance between LS/CMI-identified and self-identified risk factors was not significantly associated with recidivism. Although risk level was tested as a moderator of this relationship, no significant interaction effect was detected. The implications that these results have for intervention planning are discussed.Ph.D., Clinical Psychology -- Drexel University, 201

Empathy, Acceptance of Responsibility, and Compelled Testimony in Juvenile Transfer Hearings: Legal Context and Empirical Evidence

There are a number of legal decisions in which the court must decide whether juveniles can be rehabilitated. Such decisions include juvenile adjudication/placement, waiver, and reverse waiver.1 The criterion used by courts to consider rehabilitation amenability is typically phrased in a way similar to that described under Pennsylvania state law.2 In deciding whether a child may be decertified (reverse waived from criminal to juvenile court), the court can consider. whether the child is amenable to treatment, supervision, or rehabilitation as a juvenile. The court may consider the following in determining treatment, supervision, or rehabilitation amenability: (a) age, (b) mental capacity, (c) maturity, (d) degree of criminal sophistication, (e) previous records, (f) nature and extent of any prior delinquent history, including the success or failure of any previous attempts by the juvenile court to rehabilitate, (g) whether the child can be rehabilitated prior to the expiration of the juvenile court jurisdiction, (h) probation or institutional reports, (i) any other relevant factors, and (j) whether there are reasonable grounds to believe that the child is not committable to an institution for the mentally retarded or mentally ill.3 Empathy for the victims of the defendant’s offenses, and acceptance of responsibility for such offenses, may be considered by mental health and justice professionals working with post-adjudicated youth. But rendering an expert opinion that describes the youth’s capacity for empathy or acceptance of responsibility, when that opinion is based in part on questions concerning the alleged offense, places the evaluating expert in an awkward position. To what extent can denial of culpability be used to infer limited empathy and acceptance of responsibility? How does the Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination factor into this consideration

Offenders\u27 Perceptions of Risk Factors for Self and Others: Theoretical Importance and Some Empirical Data

Little research has examined offenders\u27 understanding of the factors that increase their likelihood of future criminal activity. Although social-psychological research has described many ways in which individuals have overly positive views of themselves and their performance, a more limited body of literature has demonstrated that offenders exhibit an unrealistically optimistic perception of their success upon release from incarceration. A survey designed to assess offender understanding of general risk factors and their own risk factors was administered to male offenders (N = 88) returning to the community from prison incarceration. Results suggest that these individuals have an appreciation for the factors that generally increase the risk of future offending, but do not perceive these factors as personally relevant. In addition, the concordance between offender-identified and Level of Service/Case Management Inventory-identified risk factors was limited. Implications of this lack of understanding, and ways to improve upon this knowledge, are discussed

The application of implementation science methods in correctional health intervention research: a systematic review

Abstract Background Improving access to high-quality healthcare for individuals in correctional settings is critical to advancing health equity in the United States. Compared to the general population, criminal-legal involved individuals experience higher rates of chronic health conditions and poorer health outcomes. Implementation science frameworks and strategies offer useful tools to integrate health interventions into criminal-legal settings and to improve care. A review of implementation science in criminal-legal settings to date is necessary to advance future applications. This systematic review summarizes research that has harnessed implementation science to promote the uptake of effective health interventions in adult criminal-legal settings. Methods A systematic review of seven databases (Academic Search Premier, Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature, PsycINFO, Social Work Abstracts, ProQuest Criminal Justice Database, ProQuest Sociological Abstracts, MEDLINE/PubMed) was conducted. Eligible studies used an implementation science framework to assess implementation outcomes, determinants, and/or implementation strategies in adult criminal-legal settings. Qualitative synthesis was used to extract and summarize settings, study designs, sample characteristics, methods, and application of implementation science methods. Implementation strategies were further analyzed using the Pragmatic Implementation Reporting Tool. Results Twenty-four studies met inclusion criteria. Studies implemented interventions to address infectious diseases (n=9), substance use (n=6), mental health (n=5), co-occurring substance use and mental health (n=2), or other health conditions (n=2). Studies varied in their operationalization and description of guiding implementation frameworks/taxonomies. Sixteen studies reported implementation determinants and 12 studies measured implementation outcomes, with acceptability (n=5), feasibility (n=3), and reach (n=2) commonly assessed. Six studies tested implementation strategies. Systematic review results were used to generate recommendations for improving implementation success in criminal-legal contexts. Conclusions The focus on implementation determinants in correctional health studies reflects the need to tailor implementation efforts to complex organizational and inter-agency contexts. Future studies should investigate policy factors that influence implementation success, design, and test implementation strategies tailored to determinants, and investigate a wider array of implementation outcomes relevant to criminal-legal settings, health interventions relevant to adult and juvenile populations, and health equity outcomes. Trial registration A study protocol (CRD42020114111) was registered with Prospero

National preparedness for 988—the new mental health emergency hotline in the United States

988, a national mental health emergency hotline number, went live throughout the United States in July 2022. 988 connects callers to the 988 Crisis & Suicide Lifeline, previously known as the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. The transition to the three-digit number aimed to respond to a growing national mental health crisis and to expand access to crisis care. We examined preparedness throughout the U.S. for the transition to 988. In February and March 2022, we administered a national survey of state, regional, and county behavioral health program directors. Respondents (n = 180) represented jurisdictional coverage of 120 million Americans. We found that communities throughout the U.S. appeared ill-prepared for rollout of 988. Fewer than half of respondents reported their jurisdictions were ‘somewhat’ or ‘very’ prepared for 988 in terms of financing (29%), staffing (41%), infrastructure (41%), or service coordination (47%). Counties with higher representation of Hispanic/Latinx individuals were less likely to report being prepared for 988 in terms of staffing (OR: 0.62, 95 %CI: 0.45, 0.86) and infrastructure (OR: 0.68, 95 %CI: 0.48, 0.98). In terms of existing services, sixty percent of respondents reported a shortage of crisis beds and fewer than half reported availability of short-term crisis stabilization programs in their jurisdictions. Our study highlights components of local, regional, and state behavioral health systems in the U.S. that require greater investments to support 988 and mental health crisis care

Influence of mental health and alcohol or other drug use risk on adolescent reported care received in primary care settings

Abstract Background To describe patterns of alcohol and other drug (AOD) use risk and adolescent reported primary care (PC) screening and intervention, and examine associations of AOD risk and mental health with reported care received. Methods We analyzed data from cross-sectional surveys collected from April 3, 2013 to November 24, 2015 from 1279 diverse adolescents ages 12–18 who reported visiting a doctor at least once in the past year. Key measures were AOD risk using the Personal Experience Screening Questionnaire; mental health using the 5-item Mental Health Inventory; binary measures of adolescent-reported screening and intervention. Results Half (49.2%) of the adolescents reported past year AOD use. Of the 769 (60.1%) of adolescents that reported being asked by a medical provider in PC about AOD use, only 37.2% reported receiving screening/intervention. The odds of reported screening/intervention were significantly higher for adolescents with higher AOD risk and lower mental health scores. Conclusions Adolescents at risk for AOD use and poor mental health are most likely to benefit from brief intervention. These findings suggest that strategies are needed to facilitate medical providers identification of need for counseling of both AOD and mental health care for at risk youth. Trials registration clinicaltrials.gov , Identifier: NCT01797835, March 2013

Community-Based Alternatives for Justice-Involved Individuals with Severe Mental Illness: Review of the Relevant Research

Community-based alternatives to conviction and imprisonment for adult offenders with severe mental illness are receiving increasing attention from researchers and policy makers. After discussing the justifications that have been offered in support of community-based alternatives, this article reviews the current empirical evidence relevant to such alternatives. The authors use the sequential intercept model as a guide and summarize the existing research at several points along the criminal justice continuum. They conclude by highlighting the gaps in existing research and discussing the need for further research in several key areas