Enhanced Support for High Intensity Users of the Criminal Justice System – an evaluation of mental health nurse input into Integrated Offender Management Services in the North East of England

The current UK Government’s focus on the development of services to manage and support offenders with mental health problems has resulted in a number of innovative project developments. This research examines a service development in the North East of England which co-located Mental Health nurses with two Integrated Offender Management teams. While not solving all problems, the benefits of co-location were clear – although such innovations are now at risk from government changes which will make Integrated Offender Management the responsibility of new providers without compelling them to co-operate with health services

Prison Health Discharge Planning- Evidence of an integrated care pathway or the end of the road?

This article is based on research conducted in several prisons in North East England. It explores the effectiveness of prisons, and the wider criminal justice system, at meeting the healthcare needs of inmates as they leave prison, or transfer between prisons. In doing so, the article details policy context, areas of good practice and issues that still need to be addressed in relation to the creation of an integrated care pathway

The Development of a Prison Mental Health Unit in England: Understanding Realist Context(s).

A pragmatic solution for the provision of care for prisoners with serious mental illness, who are often subject to delays in hospital transfer, is the creation of specialist prison units. This paper analyses the development of a prison unit in England for prisoners with ‘serious mental illness’. The unit was developed within over-lapping health and justice contexts, including expectations, pressures and priorities, which impacted on the outcomes expected and achieved. The methodology included attendance at Steering group meetings, analysis of a minimum dataset, and interviews with key stakeholders. A number of key sites of contestation are analyzed including: admission criteria; aims; activities; staffing; the physical environment; and discharge

Streamlining Out of Court Disposals Assessing the Impact on Reoffending and Police Practice

Police services in England and Wales have developed varied approaches to the use of conditional cautions, and this study examines the effectiveness of one set of reforms: a Revised Conditional Caution Framework. With an overall aim of diverting offenders from the Criminal Justice System and addressing offenders’ criminogenic needs, various programmes of meaningful activity were mandated for offenders. The Revised Conditional Caution Framework refers offenders to a relevant ‘pathway’, to address their offending behaviour(s). If an offender fails to complete the activity within the relevant pathway, without good reason, they revert back through the court system. The aim of the Revised Conditional Caution Framework was to apply meaningful conditions to the conditional caution (e.g. alcohol educational intervention), to focus upon addressing the root cause of the offending behaviour. In this study, the authors evaluated the effectiveness of the Revised Conditional Caution Framework in reducing reoffending. The research was conducted between January 2018 and May 2019 and adopted a mixed methodology of qualitative and quantitative research; notably, focus groups with police officers, semi-structured interviews with offenders and pathway providers and an analysis of police data on offender compliance levels. We found that the Revised Conditional Caution Framework is perceived by many professionals and offenders to provide a platform for tackling the root cause of recidivism and thereby reducing reoffending. It is argued that the premise of Revised Conditional Caution Framework is one that conceives of offending in individualistic terms that pay insufficient attention to the social and economic context in which offending is situated. The article also raises questions about the impact of the Revised Conditional Caution Framework on police professionalism and argues that it might be understood as a restriction on the exercise of discretion since it further restricts officers’ scope to respond to offenders and criminal behaviour

Association of personality on changes in weekday sitting time: cross-sectional and prospective evaluation

Background: The purpose of this study was to examine the prospective association of personality typology on changes in sitting (sedentary) time. Methods: Young adults (N = 126; Mage = 21.6 yrs) completed self-report assessments of personality and sitting time at baseline and at an approximate 5-month follow-up. At baseline, personality was assessed via the Neuroticism-Extraversion-Openness Five Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI) questionnaire. At both baseline and the follow-up period, sitting time was self-reported using the International Physical Activity Questionnaire (IPAQ) short form. Results: Both extraversion (β = –5.8; 95% CI: –11.7, 0.21; p = 0.05) and conscientiousness (β = –5.7; 95% CI: –11.3, –0.2; p = 0.04) were inversely associated with baseline sitting time. Regarding the prospective results, the only personality trait associated with changes in sitting time was openness to experience. Independent of changes in physical activity as well as other potential confounders, for every 1 unit increase in openness to experience, there was an associated 6.6 min/day increased change score in sitting time over the 5-month follow-up period (β = 6.6; 95% CI: 0.13, 13.0; p = 0.04). Conclusion: Personality was differentially associated with sitting time based on the study design, with the personality trait of openness to experience being prospectively associated with increases in sitting time

Prospective associations between internet use and poor mental health:A population-based study

ObjectivesMost of the evidence on the effects of internet use on mental health derives from cross-sectional research. We set out to explore prospective associations between internet use (hours online and specific internet experiences) and future mental health problems.MethodsParticipants were 1,431 respondents from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), a UK birth cohort, who completed a questionnaire on internet use (time online and ten different internet experiences) when they were aged 18 years. Outcomes included past year self-harm, assessed at 21 years and high levels of depression and anxiety symptoms, assessed at 22 years. Associations were investigated using logistic regression models and analyses were conducted separately for males and females.ResultsFemales reporting high levels of internet use (number of hours online) were found to be at increased risk of depression at follow-up (highest tertile vs lowest tertile OR = 1.41, 95% CI 0.90 to 2.20), whereas males with high levels of internet use were at increased risk for self-harm (highest tertile vs lowest tertile OR = 2.53, 95%CI 0.93 to 6.90). There was no evidence to suggest an association between hours spent online and anxiety. With regards to the specific internet experiences, associations were found for females but not for males. In fully adjusted models, being bullied online (OR = 1.76, 95% CI 1.09 to 2.86) and meeting someone face to face (OR = 1.55, 95% CI 1.00 to 2.41) were associated with an increased risk of future depression. Being bullied online was also associated with an increased risk of future self-harm (OR = 2.42, 95% CI 1.41 to 4.15), along with receiving unwanted sexual comments or material, and coming across pornography and violent/gruesome material.ConclusionsOur findings highlight the importance of digital citizenship training to help teach young people to use technology safely and responsibly