Criminal Behavior, Mental Illness, Substance Use
Conditions
Brief summary
Specialty mental health probation for offenders with severe mental illness has been widely disseminated; however, randomized studies are needed to determine its effectiveness. The purpose of the study is to test the feasibility and efficacy of specialty mental health probation (SMHP) for probationers with mental illness in North Carolina. 320 adult probationers with mental illness in will be randomly assigned to specialty mental health probation (experimental condition) or usual probation (control condition). Probationers assigned to the experimental condition will be supervised by specialty mental health probation officers, who will have reduced caseloads and advanced training in mental health and other topics. Probationers assigned to the control condition will receive standard probation. Criminal justice and mental health outcomes will be examined.
Detailed description
Specialty mental health probation for offenders with severe mental illness has been widely disseminated; however, randomized studies are needed to determine its effectiveness. The purpose of the study is to test the feasibility and efficacy of specialty mental health probation (SMHP) for probationers with mental illness in North Carolina. 320 adult probationers with severe mental illness in will be randomly assigned to receive specialty mental health probation (experimental condition) or standard probation (control condition). Probationers assigned to the experimental condition will be supervised by specialty mental health probation officers, who will have reduced caseloads and advanced training in mental health and other topics. Probationers assigned to the control condition will receive standard probation. Criminal justice and mental health outcomes will be examined.
Interventions
BEHAVIORALSpecialty Mental Health Probation
Specialty mental health probation includes the following components: (1) exclusively mentally ill caseload of probationers; (2) reduced caseload of 40-45 probationers; (3) problem-solving supervision orientation; (4) ongoing training and consultation; and (5) greater connection with local mental health services
Sponsors
North Carolina Department of Public Safety
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill
Study design
Allocation
RANDOMIZED
Intervention model
PARALLEL
Primary purpose
TREATMENT
Masking
NONE
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
21 Years to 64 Years
Healthy volunteers
Yes
Inclusion criteria
* Qualifying diagnosis of severe mental illness - schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder + on probation in North Carolina + capable of passing study competency quiz administered by the research team
Exclusion criteria
* None
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Recidivism | 24 months | Recidivism, probation revocation or other criminal justice events |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Mental health functioning | 6 months | Assessment of mental health functioning - standardized measure (Symptom Checklist - SCL-10-R) |
| Social support | 6 months | Assessment of social support - standardized measure (Medical Outcomes Study - Social Support Scale \[MOS\]) |
| Life events checklist | Baseline | Assessment of traumatic life events - standardized measure (Life Events Checklist - LEC-5 Standard) |
| Mental health service engagement | 24 months | Administrative data from local and state mental health authorities will be accessed to assess mental health service utilization |
| Social network (researcher-created measure of social support network) | 6 months | Access and utilization of pro-social network as measured by a researcher-created instrument |
| Dual Role Relationship Inventory (DRRI, standardized measure) | baseline, 6 months | Assessment of probationer's relationship with probation officer |
| Substance use | 24 months | Criminal justice contact related to substance use - via administrative records |
Countries
United States
Outcome results
None listed