No abstract

Criminal justice involvement is a complex and costly problem that affects a substantial proportion of adults with serious mental illness who receive services across state agencies. Applying per-person cost estimates in other states could help mental health and criminal justice systems to better plan, coordinate, and deliver cost-effective services to individuals with serious mental illness who become involved with the criminal justice system.

Research has shown that having a supportive social network is generally beneficial for individuals, particularly those who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. However, conflict within these networks may diminish the positive effects of social support on well-being, and these effects may be felt acutely within a vulnerable population with multiple needs. This study examined the impact of conflict and social support on parenting behaviors in a sample of mothers who are homeless and were involved in a study of case management interventions of varying intensity. We found that women who reported high emotional and instrumental social support self-reported greater improvements in parenting consistency over time than those who reported lower levels of support. However, three-way interactions showed that conflict in support networks was a risk factor for harsh parenting practices among participants who reported lower levels of instrumental social support. Results suggest that social support may enhance homeless mothers' ability to provide consistent parenting, but that these benefits may be undermined if conflict occurs in combination with limited levels of instrumental social support.

Among prisoners, past research has associated several factors with HIV risk behaviors, including illicit drug use, engaging in sex trade, older age (for drug-related risk), younger age (for sex-related risk), low education, low income, type of offense, history of abuse, mental health disorders, and self-perceived efficacy and vulnerability. This study employs data collected through the Transitional Case Management study of the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies collaborative to analyze characteristics of prisoners who engaged in high-risk behaviors prior to incarceration. For the first 787 participants of this study, we employed recursive partitioning techniques to better identify groups at varying levels of HIV risk behaviors, including Risky Needle Use, Risky Sexual Behaviors, and overall HIV/AIDS Risk Behaviors. Sub-scales of two assessments developed at Texas Christian University, the Client Evaluation of Self and Treatment and the Criminal Thinking Scale, helped to differentiate among offenders. Demographic factors such as age, employment, stable housing, and white race were also important. The results are used to develop a decision tree classifying overall risk behavior.