The last issue of the IACFP Bulletin included a summary of recent research examining the relationship between solitary confinement and mental illness of adults in corrections. Readers were invited to answer four questions about their experiences, from the perspective of practitioners. Those questions were:Have you changed your policy on placing incarcerated persons in isolation cells over the last five years?Are you aware of criminal justice systems that have either not allowed mentally ill persons to be placed in isolation cells or that place an upper limit on their time in this type of confinement?As a practitioner, how do you assess an incarcerated person’s functional impairment? How do … [Read more...] about The Oregon Way: Responding to Mental Illness in Corrections

The headline was stark: “Black Twitter Reacts: Derek Chauvin, Sentenced to 22.5 Years in Prison, Offers No Remorse to George Floyd’s Family” (Clark, 2021). Prompting the very important question: How do we understand no remorse in the wake of national outrage or tragedy—particularly from a criminal justice context?On November 15, 2021, in his closing prosecutorial arguments, Thomas Binger, Kenosha Wisconsin’s Assistant District Attorney, referred to Kyle Rittenhouse as showing “no remorse” for what he had done (CNN), suggesting that if Mr. Rittenhouse was able to feel remorseful, he would have behaved differently and not killed or wounded those he did.  What Is Remorse? The word … [Read more...] about The Genetic Factor: Understanding No Remorse

We've compiled top highlights from recent news, research, and resources across the world for our latest IACFP International News summary. Our topics for November and December include emerging research, policy updates, and practice highlights. 1. Research Criminological Highlights, Volume 19, Number 5, September 2021  You can view the September 2021 issue of Criminological Highlights here. This issue of Criminological Highlights addresses the following questions: When police speak to Black and White citizens, how do they communicate different messages even if the words are the same? Can you predict how youths will be processed by the criminal justice system by looking at … [Read more...] about IACFP International News, Research, and Resources for Nov/Dec 2021

Looking back just over two decades, criminal justice suffered from a lack of proven methods for reducing recidivism for formerly incarcerated individuals (Andrews & Bonta, 2003). Today, it is almost unimaginable that the field ever operated without practice methods that were studied and empirically validated through rigorous science. Science-based methods for offender work have been propelled by multiple streams of interest, united by evidence-based practices (EBP). This article examines relational and technical factors examined in prior research linked to reducing recidivism and improving outcomes in corrections. Evidence over Ideology Corrections has taken a positive turn. … [Read more...] about Adding Relational to Technical Factors for Reducing Recidivism: Following the Research to Improve Outcomes (Part 1)

Solitary confinement has long been an area of controversy within the context of criminal justice and corrections. Those against the practice have questioned whether it is ethical due to the potential psychological impact it can have on incarcerated individuals. For incarcerated persons with mental illness (IPMI), this impact can be even greater; particularly if IPMI are more likely to receive solitary confinement. This article summarizes a recent study, originally published in Justice Quarterly, conducted by researchers at Florida State University that examines the relationship between solitary confinement and mental illness to determine if IPMI have an increased likelihood of being sent to … [Read more...] about New Research Examines the Relationship Between Solitary Confinement and Mental Illness

It is well established throughout the literature that there is a relationship between poor mental health and engagement with the justice system. However, narrow Western definitions of mental health do not align with Aboriginal perspectives of health and wellbeing which endorse a more holistic approach to their conceptualisation. Social and emotional wellbeing (SEWB) is a more culturally appropriate term that better describes Aboriginal perspectives of health and connectedness. SEWB can be thought of as the individual's and the collective’s connection to body, mind, land, family, culture, and spirituality. Thus, the study discussed in this article aims to determine the relationship between … [Read more...] about The Relationship Between Justice System Involvement and the Social and Emotional Wellbeing (SEWB) of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Youth

Consistent with the crime-desistance literature findings that people change and that a goal of the criminal justice system is rehabilitation, it would seem imperative that a reliable and accurate measure of such change be available. However, there are currently very few measures that accurately measure justice-involved person change in correctional settings (Serin et al., 2013). For this reason, the purpose of this research was to validate a new measure of change, known as the Client Change Scale (CCS; Serin & Lloyd, 2018), which is a risk-relevant, desistance-oriented measure of change based on the Transition Model of Offender Change (Serin & Lloyd, 2009).  Client Change Scale … [Read more...] about Capturing Change: Validation of the Client Change Scale with the Correctional Service of Canada Community—A M.A. Thesis Summary

We've compiled top highlights from recent news, research, and resources across the world for our latest IACFP International News summary. Our topics for September and October include IACFP updates, recent research and practice highlights, policy updates, and upcoming conferences. 1. IACFP Updates IACFP Community Corrections Project UpdateThe IACFP has initiated a project to advance research on how community corrections agencies in countries throughout the world provide programs and services to individuals experiencing mental health challenges (including serious mental illness). The purpose of the project is to document how programs and services contribute to client well-being, … [Read more...] about IACFP International News, Research, and Resources for Sept/Oct 2021

Although many scholars have attempted to understand why incarceration rates often differ among countries, there is no current research examining whether there is a connection between the size of a nation's criminal justice workforce (specifically those handling cases prior to the point of incarceration) and that country's incarceration rates. Here, we summarize research by Alyssa K. Mendlein that explores the connection between front-end criminal justice system workforce size and incarceration rates across multiple countries, published in International Criminology in April 2021. Purpose of Research For this study, Mendlein combined a conflict perspective and a systems approach to … [Read more...] about New Research Connects Criminal Justice Workforce to Incarceration Rates

First, I want to thank the International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology (IACFP) Board of Directors for awarding me the Student Research Grant Award in support of my dissertation project, "Implementing a brief treatment program for justice-involved people with mental illness in jail: A mixed-methods hybrid 1 randomized controlled trial.” I am grateful not only for IACFP's generosity, but also for the recognition of this project, in which we are providing treatment to people with serious mental illness in jail—thank you for supporting this work and helping make this study possible. Background There are five times more people with serious mental illness in jails … [Read more...] about IACFP Student Research Grant Award Report: Treatment for Mental Illness in Jail

Hans Toch, a towering figure in the academic discipline of criminology and criminal justice, died June 18 at his home in Albany, New York. Born April 17, 1930 in Vienna, Austria, Toch escaped the ravages of the holocaust, emigrating initially to Cuba and then to the United States. He earned his B.A. at Brooklyn College in 1952 and his Ph.D. in psychology at Princeton in 1955. He served in the U.S. Navy and was a Fulbright Fellow in Norway, a visiting Lecturer at Harvard, and a member of the psychology department at Michigan State University before being recruited in 1967 as a founding faculty member of the School of Criminal Justice at the State University of New York at Albany, the first … [Read more...] about IACFP Remembers Hans Toch, 1930-2021

We've compiled top highlights from recent news, research, and resources across the world for our latest IACFP International News summary. Our topics for July and August include international resources for treatment of justice-involved individuals, mental health research and training, and upcoming conferences. 1. Treatment of Justice-Involved Individuals Book Revw of CBT with Justice-Involved Clients, Criminal Justice and Behavior, Online May 2021The book review of CBT with Justice-Involved Clients first appeared online in May 2021 and will be included in a future print issue of Criminal Justice and Behavior. The book review was written by Mark E. Olver and Keira C. Stockdale. The … [Read more...] about IACFP International News, Research, and Resources for July/August 2021