Evaluation of a Mental Health Treatment Court with Assertive Community Treatment
1. This article studied the effect of Assertive Community Treatment (ACT) versus Treatment as Usual (TAU) on the life satisfaction ratings, psychological distress, level of functioning, substance use issues, and criminal activity of mentally ill residents of the Santa Barbara County Jail. The study administered four instruments to measure these variables. They used the Behavioral and Symptom Identification scale, the Lehman Quality of Life Scale, the Addiction Severity Index and the Global Assessment of Functioning to measure the effects of treatment. They also viewed arrest records to obtain criminal activity information.
2. A true experimental design was used. Participants who met the criteria for the study where randomly assigned to a control group, which received Treatment as Usual and a treatment group that was provided Assertive Community Treatment. Assessments were given at the start of the program, in six-month intervals, and then at the end of the program. This indicates a time trial type of method, but a pre-test and post-test were conducted.
3. Repeat offenders in the county jail who had been diagnosed with mental illnesses where the population studied.
4. The study indicated that inmates who received ACT and TAU both showed improvement in all areas studied. They found however, that participants in the ACT group reported higher levels of success in reducing drug problems and gaining independent living skills. This would help me in my profession, as I may be able to work in a jail and help repeat offenders become more independent and have fewer drug problems by providing them with Assertive Community Treatment.
Effectiveness of Brief Counseling in Reducing HIV Risk Behavior in Injecting Drug Users…
1. This article studied the effect of Brief Counseling on the risk behavior of injection drug users entering heroin detoxification treatment. Participants were recruited based on counselor availability, were given a pre-test, randomly assigned to receive either a 50-minute counseling or a packet of educational brochures. A post-test was then administered after three months to see if the individuals had participated in less HIV risk behavior. HIV risk behavior was measured using a questionnaire at pretest and again at subsequent follow-up interviews.
2. This study was a true experimental design and used the pre-test/post-test format. The subjects were randomly assigned to two groups, given a treatment, and then post-tested.
3. As mentioned above, the population studied was heroin users entering a detoxification clinic in San Francisco.
4. The study did not find significant differences between those assigned to counseling or those who received educational brochures in the reduction of risk behavior.
The United States has the highest incarceration rate in the world and of that over sixty percent of jail inmates reported having a mental health issue and 316,000 of them are severely mentally ill (Raphael & Stoll, 2013). Correctional facilities in the United States have become the primary mental health institutions today (Adams & Ferrandino, 2008). This imprisonment of the mentally ill in the United States has increased the incarceration rate and has left those individuals medically untreated and emotionally unstable while in jail and after being released. Better housing facilities, medical treatment and psychiatric counseling can be helpful in alleviating their illness as well as upon their release. This paper will explore the increasing incarceration rate of the mentally ill in the jails and prisons of the United States, the lack of medical services available to the mentally ill, the roles of the police, the correctional officers and the community and the revolving door phenomenon (Soderstrom, 2007). It will also review some of the existing and present policies that have been ineffective and present new policies that can be effective with the proper resources and training. The main objective of this paper is to illustrate that the criminalization of the mentally ill has become a public health problem and that our policy should focus more on rehabilitation rather than punishment.
Roberts, Michael W. Contois, James C. Willis Sr., and Mary Rose Worthington work for CiviGenics, Inc, an organization that provides correctional treatment programs in the U.S. Kevin Knight has PhD in experimental psychology and is the deputy director of the Department of Psychology at Texas Christian University. In the article, they stress the importance of identifying and assessing offenders’ risk and needs in order for treatment to be effective (on an individual level, not on a one size fits all way). In the past two decades, we have seen great changes and improvements regarding the approaches to treatment planning and correctional programs. The first step was to develop a model program; it should be noted that most treatment services target drug offenders. The selection of participants for this study followed a certain criteria, for instance, documented history of substance abuse, not having been classified as a sex offender, etc. Civigenics, Inc was given a contract to administer therapeutic community (TC) programs at the Indian Creek Correctional Center (ICCC). The purpose of this was to enhance treatment programs and its components, on a national scale. The results of their effort, was a research-based treatment strategy created to give inmates some life skills such as cognitive-behavioral skills for when they are released back into society. The 9-24 month program focuses on healthy ways like what would be considered “right living.” After study of the program
The rise of feudalism in Europe has also been debated about by historians. A feudal society may have formed in the later Merovingian dynasty where a variety of capitularies slowly made the peasant more reliant, and subservient to his lord. Tho...
Feudalism came to as a government containing kings, vassals, knights, lords, lesser lords, and peasants. Feudalism is a loosely organized system of rule in which powerful local lords divided their lands among lesser lords in exchange for military services and pledged loyalty. It came to as a need for control over peasants and protection from the Muslims and the Magyars.
Feudalism is a system of land ownership and duties that were used in the Middle Ages. Under feudalism, all the land in a kingdom was the king's. However, the king would give some of his land to the lords or nobles who fought for him. Rulers in all society wanted to create law and order and ensure that people make good use of the society’s resources. That is why feudalism was created. Monarchs had to accept limits on their own personal power. They also needed to respond to expectations that other groups in society have a say in decision-making. People began to use medieval courts for problems that had previously been solved by trial by combat.
Prison recidivism rates continue to be a problem in the United States. Just within the first 3 years of release from prison, it is estimated that more than 40 percent offenders commit new crimes and are once again incarcerated. This is an obvious sign that the implemented programs and policies to combat recidivism are failing. This study looks at cognitive-behavioral therapy, the most known effective rehabilitative program and its effects on recidivism rates. The aim of the study is to examine the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy and to conclude on the overall effectiveness of the program in reducing recidivism rates.
To punish or to rehabilitate incarcerated inmates is a debate decades in the making. The majority of correctional facilities are currently punishment-oriented. There is such a strong focus on punishment, as correctional facilities are built upon disciplinary objectives, that it is difficult to create effectual rehabilitative programs for inmates. Rehabilitation while incarcerated can include a wide variety of assistance such as education, vocation training, and hands-on experience. Mental illness support can also be a large portion of inmate rehabilitation, as the U.S. Department of Justice estimates that sixty-one percent of inmates in state prisons struggle with mental problems (Glaze and James). Ignoring mental illness, rather than helping
However these were not the only aspects that saw the emergence of capitalism, there were also other coalescence events hat also saw the emergence of capitalism such as itinerant merchants, who were merchants that traveled long distances to sell good town to town. Itinerant merchants bought commerce and commercial intercourse to Europe which had sunk to trade less memorial stagnation, also allowed economic interdependence to form.
On October 31, 1963, President Kennedy signed the Community Mental Health Act into law with the aim to change the delivery method of mental health care (National Council for Behavioral Health, 2013). The primary aim was to release the mentally ill from institutions and allow them to successfully integrate into functional members of society. In an effort to achieve this goal, delivery of care would be a coordination of effort from a network of outpatient clinics, community services, partial hospitalizations, and when needed emergency services. The funding for these services was to be from a combination of government, private programs and self-pay sources. However, due to the recent recession government sources reduced funds available for mental health services (Thomas). This economic reality coupled with an already fragmented health care system has left mental ill vulnerable. Patients that fall into the cracks in the system often end up in homeless shelters, jails/prisons or the morgue (Szabo, 2012).
Furthermore, there are around 10 million individuals booked through the jail systems in a year. Of these 10 million individuals, around 700,000 of these individuals have symptoms of serious mental illness. However, though already high numbers, these numbers are expected to be lower than the actual due to individuals not wanting to report or not knowing to report thei...
The purpose of this research paper is to evaluate feudalism’s effectiveness as an economic system. Feudalism was the system most common in Middle Ages Europe. This structure of land distribution involved breaking up land into smaller pieces with their own rulers in exchange for loyalty to the king. This investigation will focus on the Feudalism specifically in Europe in the Middle Ages, as opposed to Oriental feudalism. The books The Middle Ages by Joseph Dahlmus and Feudal Society by Marc Bloch, which dives into Feudalism’s details and effects, are two prominent sources in the paper.
Experts in the criminology field have searched for ways to comprehend criminal behavior by establishing a variety of theories. One of the most interesting theories is certainly the Conflict theory. Although, some criminologists refer to conflict theory as radical theory; there are a few differences that will be mentioned subsequently in this paper by defining both theories. It is also important to mention a summary containing a combination of the radical and conflict theory principles. The relevance and applicability of these specific theories will also be discussed as it is essential for the continuation of the same. Having a clear understanding of the conflict and radical theories’ roots, as well as its development, enhances the view of how
They may find it more difficult to get housing, obtain employment, and may have higher re-occurring substance abuse issues. Although, offenders without mental illness may face the same challenges, it is assumed that the mental disorder only adds to the increased chances of recidivism when unable to obtain necessities to be successful while living independently. Inadequacies in the very systems that are designed to assist in reintegration may actually exacerbate barriers faced by mentally ill offenders. An example of this is that many community-based advocacy and treatment programs are ill-prepared to meet the unique need of mentally disordered offenders. There also is issues with overloaded case managers and the lack of funding to increase staff positions. Specialized treatment programs are needed for mentally ill offenders. (Torgersen, 2013).One study conducted in a small New York State prison found that 64 percent of mentally ill offenders who were returned to the community were re-arrested and returned to prison within 18 months of release compared to 60 percent of offenders without a mental illness diagnoses (Hall, Miraglia, Lee,Chard-Wierschem, & Sawyer, 2012). While not a major difference in percentage rates the study does prove that prisoners with mental health diagnoses appear to be more prone to re-entry if they are unable to link with proper resources in the community. (Torgerson,
“In its broadest meaning, ’self-directed learning’ describes a process by which individuals take the initiative, with our without the assistance of others, in diagnosing their learning needs, formulating learning goals, identify human and material resources for learning, choosing and implement appropriate learning strategies, and evaluating learning outcomes.” (Knowles, Holton, Swanson, 2011, p. 18)
During the Middle Ages, feudalism served as the “governing political, social, and economic system of late medieval Europe.” Feudalism consisted of feudal liege lords giving land and protection to vassals, common men, in exchange for their allegiance and military service. Although this principle may at first sound like a fair trade, it in actuality restricted the entire society and took away every bit of their independence. In essence, this system could even be compared to a “mini-dictatorship” because the common people relied on ...