Violent offenses associated with co‐occurring substance use and mental health problems: Evidence from CJDATS |
| |
| Authors: | Stanley Sacks Ph.D. Charles M. Cleland Ph.D. Gerald Melnick Ph.D. Patrick M. Flynn Ph.D. Kevin Knight Ph.D. Peter D. Friedmann M.D. M.P.H. Michael L. Prendergast Ph.D. Carrie Coen MA |
| |
| Affiliation: | 1. Center for the Integration of Research and Practice (CIRP), National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI), 71 West 23rd Street, 8th Floor, New York, NY 10010, U.S.A.;2. Project Director, Center for the Integration of Research and Practice (CIRP), National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI), New York, U.S.A.;3. Senior Principal Investigator, Center for the Integration of Research and Practice (CIRP), National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI), New York, U.S.A.;4. Professor of Psychology and Deputy Director, Institute for Behavioral Research, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, U.S.A.;5. Research Scientist, Institute for Behavioral Research, Texas Christian University, Fort Worth, TX, U.S.A.;6. Associate Professor of Medicine, Brown University, Program to Integrate Psychosocial and Health Services, Providence Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Providence, RI, U.S.A.;7. Director, Criminal Justice Research Group, Integrated Substance Abuse Treatment Programs, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, U.S.A.;8. Assistant Project Director, Center for the Integration of Research and Practice (CIRP), National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. (NDRI), New York, U.S.A. |
| |
| Abstract: | The present study examines the relationship between substance use, mental health problems, and violence in a sample of offenders released from prison and referred to substance abuse treatment programs. Data from 34 sites (n = 1,349) in a federally funded cooperative, the Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJDATS), were analyzed. Among parolees referred to substance abuse treatment, self‐reports for the six‐month period before the arrest resulting in their incarceration revealed frequent problems with both substance use and mental health. For most offenders with substance use problems, the quantity of alcohol consumed and the frequency of drug use were associated with a greater probability of self‐reported violence. Mental health problems were not indicative of increases in violent behavior, with the exception of antisocial personality problems, which were associated with violence. The paper emphasizes the importance of providing substance abuse treatment in relation to violent behavior among offenders with mental health problems being discharged to the community. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. |
| |
| Keywords: | |
|
|
