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Background: A recent meta‐analysis suggested that the majority of young people in contact with the criminal justice system have cognitive and/or communication impairments. Over the past 20 years, recognition of these complex needs has resulted in support measures being put in place in courtrooms across the globe. It is therefore timely to review evidence for the efficacy of these measures. Aims: This scoping review evaluates evidence on support measures employed to facilitate access to court proceedings for individuals with cognition and communication impairments, and considers how this evidence might inform future research and practice. Methods: Research databases were searched for studies that: directly or indirectly involved a population with a form of functional impairment and/or diagnosed neurodevelopmental disorder; and refer to support delivered to remove barriers or support access to courtroom processes. Results: Searches identified 3,318 distinct articles. Following review, 37 papers were identified for inclusion. The papers were published between 1993 and 2019, with the majority being published since 2010 (n = 23). The majority of papers were from the United Kingdom (n = 26); other countries represented were Australia (n = 1), Canada (n = 3), New Zealand (n = 2), UK papers don't necessarily state which countries involved (n = 2) Scotland specifically state Scotland only and the United States (n = 3). No papers met the criteria for an experimental research design. Conclusions: Whilst the high level of need in this population is well established, which support measures are most effective in enabling engagement in court processes is not currently clear. More robust evaluative research is therefore required to establish the most effective methods of support. Despite this lack of evidence regarding outcomes, both young people and professionals generally view support measures favourably. There is an increasing onus on professionals to adapt their practice rather than to support/enhance the cognition and communication skills of young people. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Imprisonment impacts on lives beyond the prisoner's. In particular, family and intimate relationships are affected. Only some countries permit private conjugal visits in prison between a prisoner and community living partner. Aims: Our aim was to find evidence from published international literature on the safety, benefits or harms of such visits. Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted using broad search terms, including words like 'private' and 'family', to maximise search sensitivity but strict criteria for inclusion – of visits unobserved by prison staff and away from other prisoners. All included papers were quality assessed. Two of us independently extracted data from included papers, according to a prepared checklist. Meta‐analysis was considered. Results: Seventeen papers were identified from 12 independent studies, all but three of them from North America. The only study of health benefits found a positive association with maintaining sexual relationships. The three before‐and‐after study of partnership qualities suggested benefit, but conjugal visiting was within a wider family‐support programme. Studies with in‐prison behaviour as a possible outcome suggest small, if any, association, although one US‐wide study found significantly fewer in‐prison sexual assaults in states allowing conjugal visiting than those not. Other studies were of prisoner, staff or partner attitudes. There is little evidence of adverse effects, although two qualitative studies raise concerns about the visiting partner's sense of institutionalisation or coercion. Conclusions: The balance of evidence about conjugal visiting is positive, but there is little of it. As stable family relationships have, elsewhere, been associated with desistance from crime, the contribution of conjugal visiting to these should be better researched. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: To date, there is no evidence supporting the existence of an association between Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and extremism in the general population. However, there is increasing recognition that several features of ASD may provide the context of vulnerability to engage in extremist behaviour. Aims: This paper sets out the case for a dedicated clinical approach to better integrate clinical risk appraisal processes with an assessment of ASD individuals' vulnerabilities within the Criminal Justice System. Methods and Results: In this paper the Framework for the Assessment of Risk & Protection in Offenders on the Autistic Spectrum (FARAS): A Guide for Risk Assessors Working with Offenders on the Autistic Spectrum is explored. In developing the FARAS, Al‐Attar proposed seven facets of ASD that 'may have different functional links with push and pull factors to terrorism' (p. 928), which include circumscribed interests; rich vivid fantasy and impaired social imagination; need for order, rules, rituals, routine and predictability; obsessionality, repetition and collecting; social interaction and communication difficulties; cognitive styles and Sensory processing. Discussion and Conclusion: We describe the FARAS within the context of the most widely used clinical risk appraisal 'aide memoire' instruments integral to the Structured Professional Judgement of risk process, namely the HCR20v3. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Growing evidence of mental disorders among people going through the criminal justice system suggests the potential benefit of courts adding a Mental Health Treatment Requirement (MHTR) when sentencing an offender to a Community Order (sentence) in England and Wales. Although available since 2003, MHTRs have not been widely used, and there is little evidence on outcomes. Aim: To conduct the first large‐scale evaluation of mental health outcomes of people with an MHTR as part of their community sentence across multiple sites in England and Wales. Methods: Data were collected from 14 sites in England and Wales about individuals who were given an MHTR as part of a community sentence. They were assessed before and after this. During the MHTR, they received a psychotherapeutic intervention by assistant psychologists in a primary care framework. Measures of psychological distress (Clinical Outcomes in Routine Evaluation—Outcome Measure), anxiety (Generalised Anxiety Disorder‐7) and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire) were completed before the MHTR was implemented and after completion. Results: Where paired sample t‐tests and Wilcoxon signed ranked tests were used, with samples ranging between 309 and 447 individuals, clinically significant changes were obtained for all measures. Most individuals (63%) were identified as experiencing a reliable change in at least two out of the three scales. Finally, a negative linear relationship, between measures at the start of the intervention and reliable change, was identified with higher pre‐measures, indicating that more initial distress, anxiety and/or depression were associated with more sizeable changes. Conclusions: This paper provides the first substantial evidence in support of the MHTR within a primary mental healthcare framework as an effective pathway to reduce mental health problems among individuals under probation supervision as part of a sentence after conviction for a criminal offence. This supports the expansion of the provision across England and Wales. Future research should take account of the non‐completers and explore the relationship between the MHTR, mental health improvements and reoffending. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Callender, Sanna and Cahalin (In this issue) describe mental health outcomes for those who have offended and have been given a mental health treatment requirement as part of a community sentence in England and Wales. In recognition that, wherever measured worldwide, mental disorder rates among prisoners are much higher than in the general population, two of the papers focus on prison reception screening. For many people with mental disorder who have been convicted of an offence and who are at the threshold of a custodial sentence, a community order may be safer for the individual, their immediate contacts and the wider community alike if that community sentence can be tailored to their needs. [Extracted from the article]

Background: This article serves as our memorial for the outstanding contribution of Rolf Loeber to developmental criminology. His salient paper on the future of the study of the age-crime curve (2012) is the focal point.Aims: Follow some research trails that Rolf Loeber proposed in his 2012 paper.Methods: Recent data on official offending from the Montréal Two Samples Four Generations Cross-sectional and Longitudinal Studies (MTSFGCLS) are analysed. The data were gathered for two generations of juvenile court males; five birth cohorts born around 1960 and followed from age 8 to 61, and five birth cohorts born around 1980, males and females traced from age 12 to 45. The age-crime curves are presented for the total prevalence. Epidemiological data are displayed for career descriptors: number of years active in offending, frequency, variety, onset, offset and duration.Results: The age-crime curves of the two generations display the habitual shape reported in the literature. The epidemiological data shows that the population sample has a much lower curve in comparison to the court sample; this sort of difference is also observed between females and males.Conclusion: The difference between the two generations in the age-crime curves are interpreted in light of three evolutions in Québec from 1960 to 2000: (a) a radical change in the delinquency law, social and criminal justice policies, and treatment for juvenile delinquents; (b) a reduction of the juvenile and adult crime rates; (c) a significant increase in the wellbeing of the population on education, health and welfare services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Klinefelter's syndrome is a sex chromosome abnormality affecting approximately 1 in 1000 men. There have been suggestions that it is associated with a higher than average prevalence of sexual offending but to what extent does research evidence support this assertion?Aims: This study aimed to conduct a systematic review of published research to establish the prevalence of sexual offending in men with Klinefelter's syndrome.Method: The databases MEDLINE, PsycINFO and EMBASE were searched from inception until 31 December 2016 by using a range of terms for Klinefelter's syndrome and for sexual offending. All selected papers were examined for quality by using the Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in Epidemiology checklist.Results: We identified 53 relevant papers of which 10 met our inclusion criteria. All but one were prevalence studies conducted in a prison or hospital setting. The one, Danish, register-based cohort study did suggest an increased risk of sex offending among Klinefelter men, probably established before the diagnosis was made and, therefore, any hormone replacement instituted.Conclusion: There is insufficient evidence to date to support concerns about exceptional risk of sex offending among men with Klinefelter's syndrome. Rather, it is arguable that there is a research gap in understanding how the experience of and treatment for their condition may affect them. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Fazel and Favril presented a reanalysis of our previously published systematic review and meta‐analysis on the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in prison. Aims: The current paper addresses some of the criticisms of Fazel and Favril on our meta‐analysis and presents a reanalysis of the data, focusing on adult detained persons. Methods: We conducted a meta—regression on 28 studies (n = 7710) to estimae the pooled prevalence of ADHD. Results: This reanalysis yielded a pooled estimate of 22.2% for the prevalence of ADHD (95% confidence interval [CI]: 15.7; 28.6), which disagrees with the estimate given by Fazel and Favril (8.3%, 95% CI: 3.8; 12.8). Conclusion: We argue that the ADHD prevalence provided by Fazel and Favril was an underestimate due to their use of too restrictive exclusion criteria and suboptimal analysis methods. Our reanalysis on detained adults suggests a higher ADHD prevalence, which highlights the need to diagnose and treat ADHD in prison. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Acquired brain injury (ABI) is a major health problem, often with negative effects on behaviour and mental health as well as cognition. Prevalence of ABI is exceptionally high among offenders and increases their re‐offending risk. Information on risk factors for ABI and its outcomes among offenders that could guide effective treatment for them is, nevertheless, scarce and dispersed. However, there is a more substantial literature about the general population that could inform work with brain‐injured offenders, especially when selecting for samples or subgroups with similar relevant characteristics, such as lower socio‐economic status (SES), pre‐injury lower tested intelligence score (<85) and pre‐injury mental health problems. Aims: To explore brain injury data from non‐offender samples of otherwise similar socio‐economic and mental health and ability characteristics to offenders then, first, to describe their untreated outcomes and, secondly, outcomes after frequently used interventions in these circumstances, noting factors associated with their effectiveness. Method: Three databases were systematically searched for the years 2010–2022; first, using terms for brain injury or damage and cognitive (dys)function, mental health or quality of life. Second, in a separate search, we used these terms and terms for interventions and rehabilitation. In the second review, studies were selected for clear, distinguishable data on age, sex, SES and lifestyle factors to facilitate inferences for offenders. A narrative analytical approach was adopted for both reviews. Results: Samples with characteristics that are typical in offender groups, including lower SES, lower pre‐injury intelligence quotient (<85), prior cognitive impairments and prior mental health problems, had poorer cognitive and behavioural outcomes following ABI than those without such additional problems, together with lower treatment adherence. With respect to treatment, adequate motivation and self‐awareness were associated with better cognitive and behavioural outcomes than when these were low or absent, regardless of the outcome measured. Conclusions: More complex pre‐injury mental health problems and social disadvantages typical of offenders are associated with poorer post‐brain injury recovery. This paper adds to practical knowledge by bringing together work that follows specific outcome trajectories. Overall, succesful ABI‐interventions in the general population that aim at pre‐injury difficulties comparable to those seen among offenders, show that personalising injury‐specific treatments and taking account of these difficulties, maximised positive outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: International studies show that adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice and forensic mental health systems; however, it is difficult to capture their involvement across systems in any one jurisdiction. Aims: The current study aimed to estimate the prevalence of IDD across different parts of the criminal justice and forensic mental health systems in Ontario and to describe the demographic and clinical profiles of these individuals relative to their counterparts without IDD. Methods: This project utilised administrative data to identify and describe the demographic and clinical characteristics of adults with IDD and criminal justice or forensic involvement across four sectors: federal correctional facilities, provincial correctional facilities, forensic inpatient mental health care and community mental health programmes. Questions were driven by and results were contextualised by a project advisory group and people with lived experience from the different sectors studied, resulting in a series of recommendations. Results: Adults with IDD were over‐represented in each of the four settings, ranging from 2.1% in federal corrections to 16.7% in forensic inpatient care. Between 20% (forensic inpatient) and 38.4% (provincial corrections) were under the age of 25 and between 34.5% (forensic inpatient) and 41.8% (provincial corrections) resided in the lowest income neighbourhoods. Medical complexity and rates of co‐occurring mental health conditions were higher for people with IDD than those without IDD in federal and provincial corrections. Conclusions: Establishing a population‐based understanding of people with IDD within these sectors is an essential first step towards understanding and addressing service and care needs. Building on the perspectives of people who work in and use these systems, this paper concludes with intervention recommendations before, during and after justice involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Violence in inpatient settings is recognised as a worldwide issue, with inpatient intellectual disability services having higher rates than other mental health settings. Violence results in injury and illness, lack of confidence in the organisation and staff burnout. These combined effects have a negative impact on the ability of services to provide therapeutic environments. Attempts to manage violence tend to focus on the individual. This is only one part of the solution. Situational risk factors for violence within secure settings can be identified and modified to reduce violence rates. The role of situational risk factors in rates of institutional violence requires consideration in addition to individual patient risk assessment and management. Aims: To discuss an illustrative case study of a ward experiencing high levels of violence, resulting in staff burnout and low morale. To describe how assessing and addressing the relevant situational risk factors led to demonstrable reductions in violence and improvements in the service provided. Methods: This case study demonstrates the practical application of assessing and managing situational risk factors for violence in a locked intellectual disability ward in order to effectively reduce levels of violent incidents. A description of the violence and critical issues faced by the ward is provided, noting key elements of the timeline of events and the application of the Promoting Risk Intervention by Situational Management (PRISM) process to address these. Results: The PRISM protocol enabled a comprehensive assessment and understanding of situational factors relevant to the violence rates in the ward. The recommendations following the analysis enabled the management team to identify areas for immediate and long‐term action. Practical steps to address issues such as improving soundproofing were implemented quickly whilst other issues required changes over the longer term. Significantly, reduced levels of violence were observed within a 2‐month period of immediate steps being taken, with further gains achieved over the longer term. Conclusion: This paper provides the only example of the use of the PRISM protocol in an intellectual disability inpatient setting. The reduction in violence seen in this unit provides 'real world' evidence that addressing situational factors for institutional violence can be effective in intellectual disability inpatient settings, with beneficial outcomes for patients and staff. Whilst individual patient risk assessment and risk management are key components of forensic mental health care, situational risk factors for violence are highly relevant to rates of violence within secure care settings. Structured assessment of situational risk factors should be considered when inpatient settings experience persistent high levels of violence. Further research on the impact of assessing situational risk factors in forensic mental health settings (including intellectual disability services) would help to develop the existing evidence base. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Introduction of guidance by the National Institute for Health Research has led to an increase in participation by people with 'lived experience' of mental health problems. However, some researchers have questioned the extent to which involvement has been meaningful, expressing concerns that involvement is impeded by the structure and culture of academia. A prior review of literature to 2016 provided little evidence of active engagement. Aims: To find out from published literature how patient and public involvement in designing and or conducting research has been used in forensic mental health settings, prisons or probation since the last review period. Methods: A systematic scoping review of research published in academic journals between 2016 and February 2023 was completed using terms for research activity, involvement of people with experience of receiving services and health or justice systems to search three databases: MEDLINE, EMBASE and PsycINFO. We used the Guidance for Reporting Patient and Public Involvement in Research Tool to support data extraction and to summarise our own service user involvement in this study. Results: From 675 unique titles retrieved, 17 were eligible for inclusion, covering 16 unique studies. Most of the included research was by/with people who had prison experience. Only two studies had been conducted by/with people who had experience of secure hospital wards/forensic mental health services. Details of how people with lived experience had contributed to the research were scarce, but in 8 studies they had been involved throughout and included in the authorship group. Conclusion: Whilst this review identifies pockets of good practice, meaningful engagement in forensic mental health research seems to remain rare, at least as reported in papers published in academic journals. Further research is required into whether this reflects real limits on inclusion, as we suspect, or such full integration that such reporting is not regarded as necessary or desirable, which we doubt. We urge journal editors to routinely ask authors to include information about how people with lived experience have been involved in any published research and the nature and extent of the influence they had. This may help to develop the evidence base and guard against tokenistic involvement. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Highly publicised cases of homicide in a psychiatric hospital have raised concerns about the safety of such hospitals. Aims: To identify individual case reports of homicides by inpatients within psychiatric hospitals in order to update a 2011 study. Methods: A systematic search of the academic literature between 2010 and 2020, information seeking from service leaders in each state and territory of Australia and in New Zealand, and a search of public records in Australia and New Zealand. Results: The literature search revealed only one recent paper describing a homicide by a patient in a psychiatric ward. Contact with forensic psychiatrists across Australia and New Zealand yielded four cases of inpatient homicide that took place between 2010 and 2017 in Australia, and none in New Zealand. Public record searching did not add to this count. This compares to 11 inpatient homicides by 10 patients between 1985 and 2011. Conclusions: Homicides in psychiatric hospitals seem to remain rare, however, there is no consistent central documentation of these events in Australasia so it is hard to be confident about the figures. Internationally, there is similarly little centralisation of evidence. Standardised methods of recording and reporting such deaths might assist the understanding and prevention of homicides in psychiatric hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article discusses the need for further research on the mental state of perpetrators who commit homicide-suicide, mass shootings, and acts of suicide terrorism. The authors conducted a systematic review of 60 papers from 15 countries and found that mental illness is often present in these incidents, with depression and psychosis being the most common disorders. The authors recommend moving towards research that seeks to understand why these incidents occur, using a psychological autopsy approach to gain deeper insights into the perpetrators' state of mind. They also emphasize the importance of integrating theoretical frameworks and considering factors such as loss, isolation, and social alienation. The article highlights the need for more diverse research and qualitative studies to gain a better understanding of these complex incidents. [Extracted from the article]

Introducing a patient portal for patients in a forensic mental healthcare setting must take into consideration factors such as the patient's suitability to have access to handheld devices or a standalone PC on the ward. There is a role for the patient advocate to assist the patient accessing the patient portal. Patients should be encouraged and supported to complete their electronic record and use their patient diary through the patient portal. Patient access to electronically held healthcare data Empowering patients is enhanced by having a patient portal, through which each patient can view their own care record as used by clinicians but with a user interface designed for patients as well as general health data relevant to their needs. [Extracted from the article]

Background: The prison population in England and Wales is approximately 85,000, and elevated rates of mental health difficulties have been reported among the prisoners. Despite frequent recommendations for family interventions to optimise prisoner outcomes, the evidence for its use and impact in prison remain unclear.Aim: The aim of the study is to conduct a systematic review of published literature on family interventions in prisons.Methods: Embase, PsychINFO and Medline were searched using terms for family interventions and for prisoners or young offenders. No limit was imposed on study design, but, for inclusion, we required that papers were written in English and published in peer-reviewed journals.Results: Nine hundred eighty-three titles were retrieved. Twenty-two met criteria for inclusion. Three were case studies, 12 were descriptive, 6 were quasi-experimental and one was a randomised controlled trial. Interventions and study methods were too heterogeneous for meta-analysis. All studies gave positive conclusions about family interventions, but empirical data on effectiveness were slight.Conclusions: Consistency in findings across the wide-ranging studies suggested that family therapies may indeed be helpful for prisoners and their families, so further research is warranted. The fact that a randomised controlled trial proved feasible should encourage researchers to seek more robust data and to determine which form of intervention is effective and in which circumstances. It would also be useful to develop an improved understanding of mechanisms of change. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article offers information on the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disorder (DSPD) Programme. Topics discussed include aim of the DSPD Programme was to address the problem of high-risk offenders with severe personality disorders; the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Strategy rests on the early identification of high-risk to enable forward planning of pathways; and various research paper published by various persons regarding identification of the OPD persons.

Background: Many mental health services now explicitly aim to support personal recovery. Are there special ethical and practical considerations for application of this model in forensic mental health services? Is there, for example, any conflict in this context between personal empowerment and risk management?Aim: Our aim was to develop a model of the personal recovery processes for people needing forensic mental health services.Methods: A systematic literature review was conducted and meta-synthesis applied to data from relevant papers.Results: Five studies were identified through the search process and combined through meta-synthesis. Three key overarching themes were synthesised: safety and security as a necessary base for the recovery process, the dynamics of hope and social networks in supporting the recovery process and work on identity as a changing feature in the recovery process.Conclusions: The themes identified provide for theoretically informed and testable developments in care that could enhance the quality of recovery and rehabilitation for offender patients through explicitly enhancing personal sense of safety, understanding the patient's sense of personal identity and their social networks and transitioning between institutional and community support. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mentally disordered offenders may suffer discrimination on the basis of mental disorder, or on the basis of being offenders, or both.Aims: The aim of this paper is to outline a framework for examining discrimination affecting mentally disordered offenders. It is argued that there should be systematic comparisons between offenders with mental disorder and nonoffenders with mental disorder in order to identify and characterise specific failures to ensure equivalence of mental health care; and systematic comparisons between offenders with mental disorder and offenders without mental disorder in order to identify how mental disorder may constitute a barrier to forms of support and constructive intervention available to other offenders.Methods: A critical review was conducted of official documents presenting criminal justice and mental health policy for England and Wales, principally since 2012, together with reports of inspectorate and oversight bodies and relevant research studies.Findings: There is evidence that offenders with mental disorder may not be able to access mental health care equivalent to that for nonoffenders with mental disorder. There is also evidence that they may not be able to access interventions available to other offenders. Further disadvantage may arise in the criminal courts since, in England and Wales, if inpatient care is required, the powers of criminal courts to effect hospital admission under Part III of mental health legislation are weakened by the statutory requirement of information that places are available. This is discriminatory against offenders with mental disorder insofar as forms of court disposal for other offenders are not prevented by the capacity of criminal justice agencies.Conclusions and Implications: The review supports the need for systematic comparisons to identify forms of disadvantage and discrimination experienced by mentally disordered offenders in relation to both mental health and criminal justice policies services. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Suicide with accompanying homicide is frightening and ill understood.Aims: To raise professional awareness of its complexities and difficulties and identify areas for developing research.Method: A Crime in Mind seminar was held in London in December 2018, with four expert presentations and discussion. This paper draws on that seminar and supplementary literature.Findings: Homicide/suicide is very difficult to predict and thus prevent. Victims and perpetrators may have a dependency relationship. Better training, especially of general practitioners, may increase the likelihood of detecting signs of despair and delusional ideas. Psychiatrists should be more alert to fixed delusions and homicidal thoughts. Individual assessment and management alone is unlikely to be sufficient. Public health strategies are likely to be important too. Weapons control is vital. Employers of people with great personal responsibility and special access to potentially lethal tools, such as airline pilots, and perhaps clinicians, should have regular, compulsory, mental health checks.Conclusions: Six points of clinical importance emerged, including lowering the threshold for diagnosing delusional disorder and the establishment of anti-violence clinics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Estimates suggest that over a million children per year are deprived of their liberty across the world. Little is known about the types, ethos or distribution of secure beds in which they are detained. Aim: This study aims to provide quantitative data with background information, to explore similarities and differences across jurisdictions, and to inform critical inquiry into key concepts and practices. Methods: Data was obtained using an opportunistic sample of affluent countries, derived from an emerging academic/practice network of senior professionals. Depending on jurisdiction, data was already in the public domain or specifically requested. Data requests were related to the nature and size of health, welfare and criminal justice elements of secure beds and recent occupancy. Key professionals working in child secure settings, within jurisdictions, provided commentary on local approaches. Results: Data was incomplete but allowed for comparisons between 10 jurisdictions. The proportions of the populations of children and young people detained varied by jurisdiction as did their distribution across variations of secure settings. Not all jurisdictions had all three kinds of secure settings. Definitions of secure beds varied depending on the use of relational, procedural or physical security. Conclusion: Findings are tentative but suggestion solely considering numerical descriptions of children's detention is misleading; our study highlights ways in which comparative studies may be improved. Within reported jurisdictions, the framework of health, welfare and justice was meaningful but this may not hold true with a wider international application of this method. Open interrogation of this data would be enhanced by the inclusion of children's perspectives. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: In England and Wales, 'approved premises' offer 24-hour staffed accommodation for high-risk offenders, most of whom are returning to the community from prison. With a move towards a standardised operating model, it is essential to be able to measure outcomes.Aims: Our aim is to collate and evaluate 'benchmarks' for approved premises.Methods: A cross-sectional, descriptive design was used to establish the impact of existing practice in all four approved premises in Wales. Data on well-being, life satisfaction, attitudes to violence and problem-solving abilities were recorded with 114 male residents (of 486), and attitudes to personality disorder and personal well-being/burnout with 30 staff (of 86), in both narrative style and according to a number of scales used within criminal justice and healthcare systems. Perceptions of environmental climate were assessed with both groups. Scores were compared with those from reference groups, including prisoners and secure hospital patients. Criminological outcomes (e.g. prison recall) were obtained for all 486 men.Results: Scores on the scales used were broadly comparable with those in relevant reference groups, but some showed floor or ceiling effects. Recall rates, whether directly from the premises or after further onward movement, were about 42% overall, comparable with those reported for similar offenders elsewhere.Conclusions: This paper provides a short battery of measurements for use as benchmarks of experience and outcomes in staffed community accommodation for high-risk men. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The final issue of Criminal Behaviour & Mental Health for 2023 features articles from the Netherlands, England/UK, Italy, and South Africa, all focusing on the forensic aspects of mental health. The articles cover a range of topics, including undergraduate education in forensic psychiatry, evaluation of psychometric properties of personality traits in young offenders, extreme violence by prisoners, and prisoner suicide. The articles highlight the importance of theory in their respective fields and raise concerns about the lack of data and attention given to mental health disorders in the criminal justice system. The papers provide valuable insights and call for further research to address these issues. [Extracted from the article]

Background: The London Pathway Project (LPP) is an innovative whole-systems approach to addressing the needs of offenders who have severe personality disorder, with the goal of reducing their risk of harm. Previous research has evaluated the initial implementation of the LPP.Aims: This paper focused on evaluating the impact of the LPP on a number of criminogenic needs over time and its impact on the risk of reoffending and harm compared with a similar group who did not experience the pathway.Method: Data for men who had been identified for the LPP were used to explore changes in key criminogenic needs an average of 11 months after commencing on the pathway. In addition, Offender Assessment System data was used to match men who had experienced the LPP for at least 12 months to a comparison group on key demographic and criminal history variables. Changes in validated risk assessment devices and changes in practitioners' perception of risk were examined.Results: The LPP was associated with desirable within-individual change for most of the criminogenic needs explored. However, strong non-desirable changes in lifestyle and associates were also identified, but this was particularly the case for those sentenced to prison. When compared with a matched group, those identified for the pathway showed a significant reduction on an objective measure of risk of reoffending but were rated as having significantly increased risk of harm on the basis of practitioner's perceptions. There was no evidence that greater progression along the pathway was associated with greater benefits.Conclusions: This is the first impact evaluation of the LPP, and the results were generally positive in terms of its relation to criminogenic needs and risks. Much more research that clearly links project inputs to actual behavioural outcomes, such as later reoffending, is needed.Implications: This initial evaluation of the impact of the LPP could be used as baseline data to examine the impact of the pathway over time, and with greater precision (e.g. matching on personality features). Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article talks about evaluation of offender personality disorder (OPD) pathway service London Pathways Progression Unit (LPPU) by McMurran and Delight of prisoner and staff experiences of service. It mention that changes reported by staff and prisoners in study were similar to those from previous research with detained patients in hospital. It also mention about the importance of confirmation of other research exploring ways in which people with personality difficulties could be assisted.

Background: Offending is known to be associated with various health problems and premature death, but previous studies on associations between offending and mortality have often been only with men, convicted offenders or highly selected samples. A more sensitive measure of offending may be preferable when trying to understand the extent of health disadvantages among people who offend.Aims: The aim of this paper was to study the associations between investigated offending, death and causes of death in a nationally representative birth cohort.Methods: A broad concept of offending was used such that people who had had any contact with the police because they had been suspected of crime were included. Offending data were obtained from the National Police Register for 5405 men and women born in Finland in 1981, spanning their ages 15-30 years; mortality data were received from Statistics Finland. Offending was classified into four categories by frequency: none, 1-4 different offence contacts, 5-27 and 28 or more. Causes of death were categorised into natural, accidents, suicide or homicide. Of the cohort, 2304 (43%) had offended and 57 (1.1%) had died. Associations between offending, mortality and causes of death were analysed, controlling for parental education level and family structure in childhood.Results: The mortality rate was higher among offenders than non-offenders, increasing with rising frequency of offending. The most frequent offenders were nearly 30 times more likely to have died by age 30 than non-offenders (odds ratio 28.6, confidence interval 12.1-67.5); risk was higher for female than male offenders. Death among offenders was less likely to be from natural causes.Implications: A heightened risk of premature death is the ultimate form of adverse outcome for offenders. Offenders' health is likely to need more attention as part of their overall management, for recidivists in particular. In our study, offenders' only certain criminal justice contact was with the police, so it may be that the police should take a greater role in signposting them towards health services. Offender treatment is needed not only to protect potential victims but also offenders themselves. Copyright © 2015 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

▪▪▪Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Teen dating violence (TDV) is a common phenomenon of great public concern. TDV may lead to severe long-term consequences for victims and offenders, and even more so for females than for males.Aim: The aim of this paper is to investigate possible underlying factors for involvement in TDV either as a perpetrator or a victim. Social learning theory is commonly used to explain internalisation of parents' behaviour on children's behavioural expressions, but less so on parents' emotion regulation as a direct link to later TDV.Method: We used longitudinal data from the Pittsburgh Girls Study (N = 2450) to investigate if and how parents' positive and negative emotion regulation is related to TDV, controlling for early aggression and race.Results: Results show a moderately strong association between parents' negative emotion regulation and their daughters' involvement in serious dating violence. We also found that many more African American girls were involved in TDV compared to Caucasian girls, both as a perpetrator and victim.Conclusions and Practical Implications: We discuss directions for future research focusing on emotion regulation and dating violence. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim: The objective of this paper is to review risk instruments that have been used in the assessment of the potential for violence within the dating relationships of young people.Method: A review of the dating violence literature was conducted to identify risk assessment approaches that have been used to predict harmful behaviour within the dating relationships of people aged between 15 and 30 years. Risk assessments were evaluated on recommended quality criteria: predictive validity, accuracy (sensitivity and specificity) and inter-rater reliability.Results: Only five studies describing assessments that focused specifically on dating violence risk factors were selected for review. Three assessments encompassed dating behaviours by victims that have been associated with an increased risk of further victimisation.Conclusions: Drawing on this evidence, we conclude that young people appear to be at greater risk of encountering dating violence if they have experienced violence in earlier attachment relationships; if their skills for coping with conflict and responding to coercion are limited and if the presence of peer influences reinforces offence supportive attitudes. The reliability and validity of existing intimate partner violence risk assessments that conceptually overlap with elements of dating violence risk warrant investigation to inform risk assessment developments in this field and, building on this, possible interventions to minimise future harm. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The high prevalence of mental disorders among women in prison is recognised worldwide. In England and Wales, successive governments and independent reports have argued that the equivalent of community care in prisons is acceptable but that some mental health assessment units (MHAUs), staffed by professional clinicians, should remain. These have not been researched.Aims: This paper aimed to explore patterns of use of a MHAU in a women's prison in England and to test the hypothesis that it was being used only, as intended--to hold women pending transfer to a health service hospital or in a bona fide crisis.Methods: Anonymised data on all women transferred to one MHAU between 1 January 2008 and 31 August 2010 were obtained from the prison files and subjected to descriptive analysis.Results: Less than a third of these women were transferred to an outside hospital; this group stayed longest in the unit. An overlapping group of 52% of the women was under a special assessment, care in custody and teamwork protocol because of suicide or serious self-harm risk. Thus, 188 (68%) admissions fulfilled national protocol criteria for MHAU admissions. Two in five women admitted were released or returned to ordinary prison locations. Nevertheless, over 80% of the women were known to external mental health services, and 64 (30%) were so unwell on arrival in prison that they were transferred directly to the MHAU. Over a third of admissions were of women admitted more than once during the 32 months of study, and this was significantly more likely after release from prison directly to the community.Conclusions: Our hypothesis was not sustained, and it seems unlikely that this prison MHAU is unique in being used outside its strict remit. A shift from studying the epidemiology of mental disorder in prisons to the epidemiology of mental health needs could benefit this vulnerable group and the wider community alike. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is a strong correlation between severe mental illness and criminality, but little is known about how these two problem areas together may affect health outcomes.Aim: The objective of this paper is to compare survival rates of male psychiatric inpatients over a 25-year period who have and have not been subject to imprisonment, allowing for nature of psychiatric morbidity.Methods: A nationwide cohort of men who had ever been psychiatric inpatients was identified from Icelandic data-registers, and their diagnoses after first discharge, cumulative incidence of imprisonment, and mortality established from records. Using a nested case-control design, survival differences were determined between those ever imprisoned and those never imprisoned.Results: Between January 1983 and March 2008, 7665 men were admitted to psychiatric wards in Iceland, of whom 812 (10.6%) had served a prison sentence during that time. Cumulative incidence of imprisonment was highest in the youngest age group (21%). Substance use and personality disorders were more common amongst those imprisoned. All-cause mortality, adjusted for diagnosis, age, and year of admission, was twice as high amongst those imprisoned as those not imprisoned (Hazard ratio = 2.0, 95% CI 1.5-2.6, p < 0.001).Clinical Implications: Our findings indicate that psychiatric inpatients with criminal records should receive special attention with respect to all aspects of their health, not only within psychiatric services but also through more collaboration between the healthcare and judicial systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yet little is known about how mental health impacts upon parole decision-making and outcomes or how the process of parole may in turn impact upon prisoners' mental health. As they suggest, effective prisoner participation is not only important for giving the process a certain legitimacy but also longer term desistance from criminal activity is associated with the prisoner's sense of ownership of the process. Finally, and perhaps most worrying, was the finding that some prisoners actively avoided seeking help in relation to mental health concerns through fear that this would impact upon their chances of parole success. Despite this, in the United Kingdom, as in other jurisdictions, the provision of accommodation and other services necessary to meet ex-prisoners' needs - including, crucially, the availability of mental health services - remains an ongoing challenge. [Extracted from the article]

Background: Transfer to a psychiatric hospital of prisoners who need inpatient treatment for a mental disorder is an important part of prison healthcare in the UK. It is an essential factor in ensuring the principle of equivalence in the treatment of prisoners. In England and Wales, delays in transferring unwell prisoners to hospital were identified by the 2009 Bradley Report. There has been no subsequent systematic review of progress in so doing nor a corresponding appraisal of transfer arrangements in other parts of the world. Aim: To conduct a systematic review of international literature about transfers of mentally unwell individuals from prison to hospital for the treatment of mental disorder since 2009. Method: Eight databases were searched for data‐based publications using terms for prison and transfer to hospital from 1 January 2009 to 4 August 2022. Inclusion criteria limited transfer to arrangements for pre‐trial and sentenced prisoners going to a health service hospital, excluding hospital orders made on the conclusion of criminal hearing. Results: In England, four articles were identified, all showing that transfer times remain considerably longer than the national targets of 14 days (range, 14 days to >9 months); one study from Scotland found shorter mean transfer times, but more patients had been transferred to psychiatric intensive care units than to secure forensic hospitals. There were only two studies that investigated prison to hospital transfers for mental disorder from outside the UK and only one reported time‐to‐transfer data. Conclusions: Findings from this literature review highlight failures to resolve transfer delays in England and provide little evidence about the problem elsewhere. Given the lack of data, it is unclear whether other countries do not have this problem or simply that there has been no research interest in it. A possible confounding factor here is that, in some countries, all treatment for prisoners' mental disorders occurs in prison. However, the principle that prisons are not hospitals seems important when people need inpatient care. Prospective, longitudinal cohort studies are urgently needed to map transfer times and outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There has been a substantial change in the law on the provision of secure health services for offender‐patients in Italy, a country currently with the lowest general psychiatry bed availability per head of the population in Europe, raising questions about possible differences in offender‐patient admissions between European countries. Aims: In this multicentre case–control study, our aim was to compare the socio‐demographic, clinical and criminological characteristics of a sample of Italian forensic in‐patients with schizophrenia or similar psychosis with patients in a similar diagnostic range in specialist in‐patient services elsewhere in Europe. Methods: Secure hospital unit in‐patients with psychosis were recruited across five European countries (Italy, Austria, Germany, Poland and England). Consenting patients were interviewed by researchers and assessed using a multidimensional standardised process. Within country similarities between Austria, Germany, Poland and England were confirmed. Results: Overall, 39 Italian participants had had fewer years of education than the 182 patients in the other countries and were less likely to have ever had skilled or professional employment. The Italian patients had been older at first contact with any mental health services than the other Europeans. Diagnosed comorbidity rates were similar, but the Italian group reported higher levels of disability. Although the other European forensic patients were more likely to be undergoing treatment at the time of their index offence, they were also more likely to have been poorly compliant with treatment. The rate of suicide‐related behaviours was significantly lower among the Italian patients than among the others. Conclusions: Notwithstanding similar diagnoses, important differences emerged between patients in Italian forensic mental health resident services and those in four other European countries, some possibly reflecting less access to earlier relevant services in Italy. Others, including lower disability ratings among the Italian patients and a lower rate of suicide‐related behaviours, may indicate that the Italian reforms carry benefits. This is worthy of further evaluation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Men who commit violence against an intimate partner differ in their motives. Classifying the proactivity of men's partner violence may reveal important differences that could be treatment targets. Aims: To examine the differences between proactive and reactive partner violence based on coded descriptions of past violent events. Method: Community cohabiting couples reporting intimate partner violence were recruited via advertisements. Men and women were independently interviewed about past male‐to‐female violent events. The narratives of a male perpetrator and a female victim were coded using a Proactive–Reactive coding system, yielding three categories of violence: reactive, mixed proactive/reactive and proactive. The three categories were compared for differences in personality disorder features, attachment, psychophysiological reactivity during a conflict discussion task, and a self‐ and partner report of men's proactive and reactive aggressive tendencies. Results: The results revealed a 54% classification agreement between perpetrator and victim reports. No differences were found on personality or attachment measures between the groups regardless of gender of the reporter. Reactive violence was related to a tendency to self‐report more reactive aggression and higher heart rate reactivity during a laboratory conflict discussion compared to the group reporting both proactive and reactive violent incidents. Conclusion: This study suggests that a coding system for intimate partner violence can be applied to community volunteers, and it is a reliable report and valid. However, there are discrepancies when the coding is based on the perpetrator or victim reports. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is known to be a risk factor for antisocial and delinquent behaviour, but there is still a lack of information on how features of ADHD relate to offending behaviour among adults not already defined by their offending. Aims: Our aim was to add to knowledge about relationships between ADHD and antisocial behaviour among adults in the general population by answering the following questions: (A) Does the level of self‐reported ADHD features relate to criminal and non‐criminal antisocial behaviour? (B) To what extent are self‐ratings of ADHD features independent of socio‐demographic features previously identified as predictors of antisocial behaviour? Methods: A sample of adults was originally recruited to study public response to the COVID‐19 outbreak through an online panel to be representative of the Israeli population. Among other scales, the 2025 participants completed an ADHD self‐report scale, an antisocial behaviour self‐report scale and a socio‐demographic questionnaire probing for age, gender, urbanity, place of birth, socioeconomic status (education and income), family status (being in a relationship and having children) and religiosity. Results: Higher mean totals for the inattention and hyperactivity ADHD scale scores were associated with higher mean antisocial behaviour scores. These relationships were only slightly affected by socio‐demographic variables, including sex, age, education and income. Conclusion: Our findings suggest that not only may features of ADHD, even below a diagnostic threshold, constitute a risk factor for antisocial behaviour, but also that the self‐rated levels of these problems covary. These findings are important for informing the early detection of risk of antisocial behaviour in the general population and its prevention. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: A long line of research has examined whether being the victim of sexual assault is associated with negative and maladaptive outcomes, but has mainly focused on women and girls. Aims: To replicate and extend prior research by examining whether various measures of sexual assault are related to physical ill‐health, depression and/or suicidal ideation, regardless of sex or age of victim. Our research questions were (1) is sexual assault related to health problems, depression and suicidal ideation and (2) do these associations differ between men and women? Method: We analyse data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health), a longitudinal study of a US nationally representative sample of nearly 21,000 young people recruited for the first wave of interviews when most of the participants were between ages 12 and 18 years. We used Wave 4 data, collected for participants who were in their 20s and 30s, on experience of both physical sexual assault and non‐physical sexual assault and mental state, allowing for some characteristics measured in Wave 1. Allowing for missing data, sample sizes were between 6868 and 10,489 for the women and 6024 and 10,263 for the men. Results: Statistically significant associations were revealed between the physical and non‐physical measures of sexual assault and the health problems scale, the depression scale and the measure of suicidal ideation. These associations remained statistically significant even after controlling for key covariates measured at Wave 1, including exposure to delinquent peers, poverty and demographic characteristics. Conclusions: Sexual assault at some time and of whatever kind, although more commonly reported by women than men, is similarly associated with serious physical and mental health problems during their 20s and 30s. More sequencing detail is required for better prevention of harms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Mental health interventions targeting crime perpetrators are available. An overview of the current scenario of their economic benefits will help policy decisions. Aim: To provide an update on economic evidence for mental health interventions in criminal justice, and to identify challenges and responses in using economic evidence to inform policy. Method: Narrative review with an analysis frame that organises evidence around four points on the criminal justice system pathway: (a) point of contact; (b) post‐arrest; (c) incarceration/punishment and (d) post‐incarceration. Results: There is a paucity of high‐quality economic evidence, especially from cost‐benefit analyses. However, there is some evidence of cost‐effectiveness in support of interventions at the point of incarceration, such as cognitive behavioural therapy, multisystemic therapy for juvenile delinquents, therapeutic communities, electronic monitoring and telepsychiatry in forensic psychiatry settings. There is also evidence that post‐incarceration interventions such as assertive community treatment can be cost‐effective. Conclusion: There remain large evidence gaps. There are also challenges in turning economic evidence on mental health interventions in criminal justice into policy changes and improved practice, such as hidden costs, silo budgeting and delayed pay‐off. Research incorporating multi‐sectoral costs and benefits recommended by health economics and health technology assessment groups should be prioritised to support difficult resource allocation decisions faced by policy makers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Criminal justice policy decisions are increasingly being influenced by the ratio of the monetary benefits to the monetary costs. While policies based on evidence and analysed via cost‐benefit studies are a welcome development, cost‐benefit calculations are only as robust as the data upon which they are based. For England and Wales up to the present, cost‐of‐crime estimates used in cost‐benefit analyses have been calculated by the Home Office using a multi‐method approach. However, the intangible costs of crime have not been estimated adequately in England and Wales. Aim: The main aim was to quantify the intangible costs of crime using the willingness‐to‐pay (WTP) method. Also, stated preferences for different crime reduction methods were investigated. Method: This study utilises samples from the City of Cambridge (n = 534) and from Criminal Justice Practitioners (n = 124), to assess their WTP to prevent a range of crimes from happening in their neighbourhood, and their preferred crime reduction techniques. A Contingent Valuation Survey (CVS) was used. Results: Overall, both samples gave a higher WTP for low volume, high harm crimes than for high volume, low harm crimes. Both samples supported funding youth programmes in preference to other forms of crime reduction initiatives. Conclusion: It is proposed that a CVS should be included in the next Crime Survey for England and Wales, in order to collect relevant WTP data on crime at the national level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Children and youth who are at risk of becoming early‐onset life‐course‐persistent offenders often slip through the cracks of other systems in society (e.g., health, education, child welfare, substance use and mental health). When they do, they impose an enormous economic burden on society. Developmental crime prevention (DCP) programmes seek to reduce these costs through evidence‐based interventions that target individual child and family risk and protective factors for antisocial behaviour. Aim: This study reviewed cost‐benefit analysis studies of DCP interventions to identify whether they produced monetary benefits that exceeded programme costs. Method: We searched the literature for studies of interventions that were evaluated using high‐quality research methods (i.e., experimental or quasi‐experimental designs). Key characteristics of these evaluations are summarised and benefit‐to‐cost ratios (BCRs) are reported. Results: Eleven cost‐benefit analysis (CBA) evaluations met study criteria. The programmes varied in terms of who they targeted (e.g., pregnant mothers, at‐risk youth), the age of participants (e.g., adults, children, older youth), the intervention duration (e.g., 10 weeks to 4 years), and the follow‐up interval (e.g., 6 months to 50 years). Ten of the 11 studies produced favourable BCRs, ranging between 1.35 and 31.77, depending on the type and scope of outcomes that were monetised. Conclusion: There is strong evidence in support of DCP from a cost‐benefit perspective. However, given the small number of studies for analysis, more prospective longitudinal CBA evaluations are needed, in addition to greater consistency in the scope and methods that are used to monetise outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: The effectiveness of early prevention programmes and their viability as a public policy option have increasingly caught the attention of scholars and policymakers. Given the implementation costs of such programmes, it is important to assess whether they achieved anticipated objectives and whether they made efficient use of taxpayer money. Aim: To discuss the social and economic impact of a 2‐year randomised intervention aimed to improve social skills and self‐control (i.e., non‐cognitive skills) among disruptive boys from low‐income neighbourhoods in Montreal. Method: We review findings from published studies documenting the impact of the intervention at different stages of the life course, as well as its cost‐effectiveness and cost‐benefit. Results: The intervention improved behavioural indicators throughout adolescence and eventually led to greater high school graduation rates, reduced crime, and better labour market outcomes in adulthood. Importantly, the prevention programme generated considerable returns to taxpayer investments. Conclusion: Findings from the Montreal Longitudinal Experimental Study have been well‐received and have contributed to an early prevention 'awakening' in Quebec and elsewhere. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors reflect on the incorporation of ecological model of intimate partner violence and substance misuse to decrease intimate partner violence perpetration in substance misusers. The authors state the useful multiple thresholds model that associate intimate partner violence and alcohol and drug use among different groups. The authors also recommend integration of substance misuse to enhance effectiveness in all cultures and countries worldwide.

Background: Women comprise around 15% of admissions to provincial correctional institutions in Canada. Women in custody are known to have a high prevalence of mental health concerns, but little is known about how those referred to mental health services compare with referred men at a similar stage of imprisonment. Aims: Our aim was to describe and compare clinical, social and demographic characteristics of a complete cohort of custodially remanded men and women who were referred to mental health services while under custodial remand in two correctional institutions. Methods: We carried out retrospective analysis of data obtained from 4040 men and 1734 provincially detained women referred to mental health services in two correctional centres holding mainly pre‐trial prisoners and serving a large mixed urban‐rural catchment area in Toronto, Canada over a nearly five‐year period. Men and women were first screened using the Brief Jail Mental Health Screen. Those who screened positive were assessed using the Jail Screening Assessment Tool the Brief Psychopathology Rating Scale—Expanded (BPRS‐E) and the Clinical Global Impression—Corrections (CGI‐C). Results: There were many similarities between men and women, but also some important differences. Women were more socioeconomically disadvantaged than men. More women than men reported having children, yet fewer reported having any form of employment or social supports, although men were more likely to report unstable housing. In addition, women were significantly more likely to have mood and anxiety problems and to be self‐harming, but did not differ from men in current psychotic symptoms. We also found differences in patterns of substance use, with a higher proportion of women using heroin and methamphetamines but fewer women having accessed addiction services. Conclusions: Our findings have implications for clinicians and service planners. They underscore the value of systematic screening for identifying need. More specifically, they suggest need for increased availability of addiction services for women as well as ensuring support for those women who have dependent‐age children. Improvement in supports for entry into employment is particularly needed for women, while men are particularly likely to need access to stable housing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Previous research with general population samples has consistently shown that forgiveness and mindfulness facilitate coping with distressing experiences and significantly promote mental health. No study, however, has examined their unique contribution to prisoners' psychological wellbeing nor has considered the different forms of self‐forgiveness among prisoners. Aims: Our aim was to investigate the role of mindfulness in mediating any association between prisoners' self‐forgiveness and psychological wellbeing and to test whether any such links are moderated by years spent in prison. In this study self‐forgiveness was conceptualised as a multidimensional construct, including presence of genuine self‐forgiveness, absence of pseudo self‐forgiveness and/or absence of self‐punitiveness. Methods: Participants were recruited from a prison in Northern Italy. Consenting men were asked to complete an anonymous self‐report questionnaire with only a researcher present. Results: 104 male prisoners (mean age 46.63 years, SD 11.38) took part. Findings were that self‐punitiveness was inversely related to well‐being, with mindfulness mediating this relationship, this while controlling for the other dimensions of self‐forgiveness and the perceived severity of the crime committed. Contrary to expectation, we found no direct relationship between genuine self‐forgiveness and well‐being, but the moderated mediation models showed that genuine self‐forgiveness was positively associated with mindfulness and, through this, had an indirect association with wellbeing, significant only for prisoners who had already spent several years in prison. Conclusions: Our findings confirm that self‐forgiveness is a complex construct, worthy of further investigation among offenders. They suggest that forgiveness interventions for prisoners should include modules aimed at primarily reducing self‐punitive attitudes. Promotion of genuine self‐forgiveness should be tried only with awareness that this is likely to take a very long time. In such circumstances, interventions may promote energy to be invested in mindful processes with a consequent improvement in psychological wellbeing. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Research reported prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among prisoners varies between countries, with most studies based on Western samples. The trajectory of symptoms has also been controversial. Trauma can affect prisoners' emotions and their emotional regulation tends to be maladaptive.Aims: To examine changes in PTSD and psychiatric comorbidity among prisoners in China over time and to determine whether anger and self-concealment predicts later distress.Method: In a longitudinal, prospective study, sentenced men in one prison in China were asked to complete a demographic page and several self-rating scales: the Post-traumatic Stress Diagnostic Scale, the General Health Questionnaire-28, the Clinical Anger Scale and the Self-Concealment Scale at baseline and at 6 and 12 months after the initial assessment.Results: More than half of the 496 participating men were diagnosed with PTSD. For those completing the scales at each evaluation, PTSD-DS scores were significantly lower at baseline than at the 6-month and 1-year assessments. No significant differences were found between the two follow-up scores. There was no significant difference in psychiatric comorbidity between the three phases. At the cross-sectional level, after controlling for age and education level, PTSD, anger and self-concealment were associated with psychiatric comorbidity. At the prospective level, anger predicted PTSD 6 months and 1 year later. Self-concealment predicted psychiatric comorbidity over time.Conclusions: Among these prisoners the prevalence of chronic PTSD was far higher than in general population estimates. Early identification of aspects of coping styles is likely to help predict disorder trajectory and inform interventions. Early signs of anger were indicative of the chronic severity of trauma reactions, while the intention to hide distress was related to other later mental health problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Following several high‐profile police shootings of Black Americans, renewed debate has focused on race as a predictor of police violence. Past research has been inconsistent on this score. Some scholars argue that socioeconomic issues are better predictors of police‐related violence than are race and ethnicity. Aims: To test relationships between complaints of excessive use of police violence and racial/ethnic population demographics, allowing for social and mental health variables. Methods: We examined records from all 195 municipal police departments in California to identify complaints of excessive force by police and tested for associations between such complaints and health, socio‐economic and demographic data from county records, using multivariate analyses. Results: There was no difference in reporting between communities according to Black or White American residency proportions; communities with more Latino Americans were less likely to complain formally of excessive use of police force. The strongest associate of complaints to police departments that their employees had used excessive force was experiencing mental distress in the community. Conclusions: Our findings are limited by reliance on complaints to police authorities rather than actual incidence of police use of excessive force and by having to map municipal data on to county data, but the finding that factors other than or in addition to any inherent police problems may contribute to excessive use of force by the police offers new lines for remedying the problem. In particular, our findings suggest that more training for police in recognising and managing mental distress and more provision of mental health experts to work alongside police would be worth evaluating as a next step. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Services developed in community Youth Offending Teams (YOTs) that included mental health workers. As Forensic Child and Adolescent Mental Health comes of age, it is time to reflect on the road travelled. HOLDING IN MIND LOCAL HISTORY: UK CHILD MENTAL HEALTH Every mental health worker knows that "the child is father of the man". [Extracted from the article]

Recent research has highlighted that a high prevalence of young adults who have various forms of neurodivergence come into contact with the criminal justice system. Currently, many courts are not designed to respond to neurological differences often seen in young people who engage with them. The aim of this study was to identify ways to make locality courts more accessible, engaging, and ultimately more responsive to neurodivergence. A panel of neurodivergence specialists reviewed the general district courtroom environment of a new specialised young adult list court in Aotearoa New Zealand to identify potential barriers to accessibility and to highlight areas for improvement. The methodology involved naturalistic observation of a typical morning in the courtroom. We identified a series of recommendations with the potential to improve the court experience and increase access to justice for neurodivergent young adults. This study identified specific need for neurodiversity education and screening within the court environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Emerging evidence suggests that distant placements and multiple moves may be detrimental to young people in care settings. Less is known about the characteristics of young people in secure care most affected by these processes. Aims: This study examined distance from home and number of previous placements in English young people detained in secure care and their relationships with organisational and individual characteristics. Methods: Data were derived from the (2016) cross‐sectional National Adolescent Study census of English young people in secure care, which included 1322 young people across secure mental health, welfare and Youth Justice establishments. Associations were described with odds ratios/95% confidence intervals (OR/CI). Results: Overall, 285 young people (26.4%) were in secure placements over 100 miles from their family/local authority while 54 (5.6%) had 10 or more previous placements. These rates were higher in secure welfare than other settings (73.8%; OR (CI) = 9.62 (5.72, 16.18), 12.7%; OR (CI) = 2.76 (1.29, 5.91) respectively), and there was significant overlap between long‐distance placement and multiple placements (n = 22; OR (CI) = 2.26 (1.27, 4.04)). Younger age and presence of neurodevelopmental disorder were also associated with long‐distance placements while psychiatric diagnosis, previous secure placement, and previous service contact were linked to multiple placements. Conclusions: Distant and/or multiple placements in young people in secure care appear common, particularly for those who are placed in secure welfare and who are younger and/or present with a psychiatric disorder. Multi‐agency evaluations that capture the longitudinal experience of these vulnerable young people are needed to understand how undesirable patterns of placement in secure care occur and prevent future instances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

THIS ISSUE This issue provides a tentative exploration of interdisciplinary work that applies to the detention and care of children and young people with varying needs in different jurisdictions. The fact that children and young people are locked up all over the world, sometimes in large numbers, is an unpalatable truth (Nowak, 2019); the true number of detained children is uncertain. These both describe detention as a "last resort" and note that 'restrictions of the personal liberty of the juvenile shall be imposed only after careful consideration and shall be limited to the possible minimum' (UN, 1985, point 17.1 (b)). Conditions in some jurisdictions are poorly documented and some places of detention are not routinely scrutinised. [Extracted from the article]