Predictors of Criminal Sentiments Scale-Modified Scores in Outpatients with Legal System Involvement.

The Criminal Sentiments Scale-Modified (CSS-M) has been widely used as a measure of criminal attitudes. This analysis examined CSS-M scores in a large sample of outpatients with serious mental illnesses and a criminal legal system history. We compared total and subscale scores in our sample to scores from two other previously published U.S. studies in which the CSS-M was used, and evaluated associations between total CSS-M score and nine variables (age, educational attainment, gender, race, marital status, employment status, diagnostic category, substance use disorder comorbidity, and adverse childhood experiences (ACE) score). Scores were higher than in two prior U.S. studies involving other types of samples. Independently significant predictors of higher CSS-M scores included being younger (P < .001), having a higher ACE score (P < .001), being male (P = 03), not identifying as White (P < 001), not having a psychotic disorder (P < 001), and having a comorbid substance use disorder (P = 002). Future research should test the hypothesis that these factors increase risk for arrest and that arrest events, and subsequent criminal legal system involvement, are characterized by negative experiences and perceptions of poor procedural justice, which in turn underpin the negative opinions referred to as "criminal sentiments" or criminal attitudes.

Adverse Childhood Experiences and Arrest Rates among Individuals with Serious Mental Illnesses.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are linked to both poor mental health and adverse social outcomes, including arrest and incarceration. Furthermore, individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI) are known to have high rates of childhood adversity and are overrepresented in all facets of the criminal justice system. Few studies have examined the associations between ACEs and arrests among individuals with SMI. We examined the impact of ACEs on arrest among individuals with SMI while controlling for age, gender, race, and educational attainment. In a combined sample from two separate studies in different settings (N = 539), we hypothesized that ACE scores would be associated with prior arrest, as well as rate of arrests. The prevalence of prior arrest was very high (415, 77.3%) and was predicted by male gender, African American race, lower educational attainment, and mood disorder diagnosis. Arrest rate (number of arrests per decade, which thus accounted for age) was predicted by lower educational attainment and higher ACE score. Diverse clinical and policy implications include improving educational outcomes for individuals with SMI, reducing and addressing childhood maltreatment and other forms of childhood or adolescent adversity, and clinical approaches that help clients reduce the likelihood of arrest while addressing trauma histories.

Foodborne Illness Outbreaks at Retail Food Establishments - National Environmental Assessment Reporting System, 25 State and Local Health Departments, 2017-2019.

Problem/Condition: Each year, state and local public health departments report hundreds of foodborne illness outbreaks associated with retail food establishments (e.g., restaurants or caterers) to CDC. Typically, investigations involve epidemiology, laboratory, and environmental health components. Health departments voluntarily report epidemiologic and laboratory data from their foodborne illness outbreak investigations to CDC through the National Outbreak Reporting System (NORS); however, minimal environmental health data from outbreak investigations are reported to NORS. This report summarizes environmental health data collected during outbreak investigations and reported to the National Environmental Assessment Reporting System (NEARS). Period Covered: 2017-2019. Description of System: In 2014, CDC launched NEARS to complement NORS surveillance and to use these data to enhance prevention efforts. State and local health departments voluntarily enter data from their foodborne illness outbreak investigations of retail food establishments into NEARS. These data include characteristics of foodborne illness outbreaks (e.g., etiologic agent and factors contributing to the outbreak), characteristics of establishments with outbreaks (e.g., number of meals served daily), and food safety policies in these establishments (e.g., ill worker policy requirements). NEARS is the only available data source that collects environmental characteristics of retail establishments with foodborne illness outbreaks. Results: During 2017-2019, a total of 800 foodborne illness outbreaks associated with 875 retail food establishments were reported to NEARS by 25 state and local health departments. Among outbreaks with a confirmed or suspected agent (555 of 800 [69.4%]), the most common pathogens were norovirus and Salmonella, accounting for 47.0% and 18.6% of outbreaks, respectively. Contributing factors were identified in 62.5% of outbreaks. Approximately 40% of outbreaks with identified contributing factors had at least one reported factor associated with food contamination by an ill or infectious food worker. Investigators conducted an interview with an establishment manager in 679 (84.9%) outbreaks. Of the 725 managers interviewed, most (91.7%) said their establishment had a policy requiring food workers to notify their manager when they were ill, and 66.0% also said these policies were written. Only 23.0% said their policy listed all five illness symptoms workers needed to notify managers about (i.e., vomiting, diarrhea, jaundice, sore throat with fever, and lesion with pus). Most (85.5%) said that their establishment had a policy restricting or excluding ill workers from working, and 62.4% said these policies were written. Only 17.8% said their policy listed all five illness symptoms that would require restriction or exclusion from work. Only 16.1% of establishments with outbreaks had policies addressing all four components relating to ill or infectious workers (i.e., policy requires workers to notify a manager when they are ill, policy specifies all five illness symptoms workers need to notify managers about, policy restricts or excludes ill workers from working, and policy specifies all five illness symptoms requiring restriction or exclusion from work). Interpretation: Norovirus was the most commonly identified cause of outbreaks reported to NEARS, and contamination of food by ill or infectious food workers contributed to approximately 40% of outbreaks with identified contributing factors. These findings are consistent with findings from other national outbreak data sets and highlight the role of ill workers in foodborne illness outbreaks. Although a majority of managers reported their establishment had an ill worker policy, often these policies were missing components intended to reduce foodborne illness risk. Contamination of food by ill or infectious food workers is an important cause of outbreaks; therefore, the content and enforcement of existing policies might need to be re-examined and refined. Public Health Action: Retail food establishments can reduce viral foodborne illness outbreaks by protecting food from contamination through proper hand hygiene and excluding ill or infectious workers from working. Development and implementation of policies that prevent contamination of food by workers are important to foodborne outbreak reduction. NEARS data can help identify gaps in food safety policies and practices, particularly those concerning ill workers. Future analyses of stratified data linking specific outbreak agents and foods with outbreak contributing factors can help guide the development of effective prevention approaches by describing how establishments' characteristics and food safety policies and practices relate to foodborne illness outbreaks.

Contexts shaping misdemeanor system interventions among people with mental illnesses: qualitative findings from a multi-site system mapping exercise.

BACKGROUND: People with mental illnesses are disproportionately entangled in the criminal legal system. Historically, this involvement has resulted from minor offending, often accompanied by misdemeanor charges. In recent years, policymakers have worked to reduce the footprint of the criminal legal system. This paper seeks to better understand how misdemeanor systems intervene in the lives of people with mental illnesses. METHODS: System mapping exercises were conducted with misdemeanor system stakeholders from the jurisdictions of Atlanta, Chicago, Manhattan, and Philadelphia. Narrative detail on decision-making and case processing, both generally and in relation to specific types of behavior, including trespassing, retail theft/shoplifting, and simple assault, were coded and analyzed for thematic patterns. Based on the qualitative analysis, this paper offers a conceptual diagram of contexts shaping misdemeanor system interventions among people with mental illnesses. RESULTS: All four sites have been engaged in efforts to reduce the use of misdemeanor charges both generally and in relation to people with mental illnesses. Decision-makers across all sites experience contexts that shape how, when, and where they intervene, which are: (1) law and policy environments; (2) location of the behavior; (3) expectations of stakeholders; (4) knowledge of mental illnesses; and (5) access to community resources. Law and policy environments expand or constrain opportunities for diversion. The location of offending is relevant to who has a stake in the behavior, and what demands they have. Clinical, experiential, and system-level knowledge of mental illnesses inform a chain of decisions about what to do. The capacity to address mental health needs is contingent on access to social services, including housing. CONCLUSION: People making decisions along the criminal legal continuum are critical to illuminating the dynamic, inter-related contexts that facilitate and frustrate attempts to address defendants' mental health needs while balancing considerations of public safety. Multi-sector, scenario-based or case study exercises could help identify concrete ways of improving each of the contexts that surround whole-of-system decisions.

Opening Doors to Recovery: A Randomized Controlled Trial of a Recovery-Oriented Community Navigation Service for Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses and Repeated Hospitalizations.

Objective: Opening Doors to Recovery (ODR) is a community navigation and recovery support model created in southeast Georgia by diverse, collaborative stakeholders. Following promising results from a quasi-experimental study, this randomized controlled trial hypothesized that, among patients with serious mental illnesses being discharged from inpatient psychiatric settings, compared to those randomized to traditional case management (CM) services, those randomized to ODR would have (1) lower likelihood of hospitalization, fewer hospitalizations, and fewer inpatient days; (2) lower likelihood of arrest, fewer arrests, and longer time to arrest; and, secondarily, (3) greater housing satisfaction and housing stability; and (4) higher scores on several scales measuring recovery-related constructs.Methods: 240 individuals with Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5 Disorders-based psychotic or mood disorders, functional impairment, and repeated hospitalizations were randomized (December 2014 to June 2018) to ODR or CM. Hospitalization and arrest data were collected from State agencies after 12 months, and housing- and recovery-related measures were collected in person, longitudinally at 4, 8, and 12 months. Intention-to-treat analyses were conducted. Effects of dropout were accounted for, and sensitivity analyses were run.Results: ODR was associated with fewer days hospitalized (RR = 0.86, P = .001), a lower incidence of arrests (OR = 0.35, P < .0005), and longer time to arrest (HR = 0.42, P = .001). In addition, measures of housing satisfaction (Cohen d = 0.45) and recovery (Cohen d = 0.33) were significantly more improved in ODR patients compared to CM patients.Conclusions: The ODR model appears to have advantages over more traditional CM services and could fill a gap in the service array. Studying the mediators of success, cost benefit, dissemination, fidelity, and financing of the model is warranted.Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT04612777.

Changes in knowledge, behavioural expectations, self-efficacy, and stigma after an educational campaign about early psychosis for jail correction officers.

AIM: Given a lack of interventions to identify and engage individuals with early psychosis in jail and connect them to specialty care in the community upon release, we designed a Targeted Educational Campaign (TEC) for correction officers working in jails. We report on impacts of the TEC on officers' cognitive and attitudinal outcomes. METHODS: Three different cohorts of officers-totaling n = 451-took part in a survey: 200 at baseline before the TEC began, 123 at 6-months into the TEC, and 128 at 12-months into the TEC. Among each cohort of officers, four constructs were measured: (1) knowledge about early psychosis; (2) self-efficacy around detecting early psychosis and referring to mental health services within the jail; (3) expectations about the benefits of detection and referral to specialty care; and (4) social distance stigma toward detainees with early psychosis. RESULTS: While exposure to TEC elements was as-planned in the first 6-months, exposure diminished substantially at 12-months, coinciding with increasing fatigue among correction officers due to the COVID-19 pandemic as well as serious staffing shortages. Knowledge, behavioural expectations, and self-efficacy scores improved from baseline to 6-months, with greater exposure to roll-call messages driving scores. Knowledge and behavioural expectations at 12-months were associated with having received an information post card. Social distance stigma worsened across timepoints. CONCLUSIONS: An educational campaign for jail staff can enhance knowledge, self-efficacy, and behavioural expectations regarding early psychosis, though only while the campaign elements are active. Further research should investigate whether or not social distance stigma or other types of stigma increase alongside improvements.

Misdemeanor Charges Among Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses: A Statewide Analysis of More Than Two Million Arrests.

OBJECTIVE: Reducing the overrepresentation of individuals with serious mental illnesses in the criminal legal system requires a better understanding of the charges for which they are most commonly arrested. This study aimed to compare violent offenses, penal code classifications, Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) codes, and specific charges in arrests among individuals with and individuals without serious mental illnesses. METHODS: The authors analyzed all arrests (N=2,224,847) in New York State during 2010-2013. Medicaid data and the state mental health authority's records were used to create an indicator of serious mental illness for each arrest. RESULTS: Among arrests involving individuals with the serious mental illness indicator (N=91,363), 7.3% were for violent offenses, compared with 7.6% of arrests involving individuals without the indicator. Among 10 penal code classifications, class B felonies and class A misdemeanors were more likely in arrests among those with the indicator than among those without it. Of the 14 UCR codes examined, seven were more common in arrests with the serious mental illness indicator. Criminal trespass was among the most common charges in arrests involving individuals with the indicator. CONCLUSIONS: Most arrests involving people with serious mental illnesses were for misdemeanors, specifically class A misdemeanors, and this class comprised a larger proportion of arrests for those with the indicator than of arrests for those without it. New approaches are needed to address the situations-usually related to socioeconomic disadvantage-that result in individuals with mental illnesses receiving misdemeanor charges and cycling through the criminal legal system.

Associations Between Adverse Childhood Experiences and Tobacco, Alcohol, and Drug Use Among Individuals with Serious Mental Illnesses in Public-Sector Treatment Settings.

Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) increase risk of substance use disorders (SUDs). Little research has focused on individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI), despite their high prevalence of both ACEs and SUDs. We combined two datasets from prior studies (n = 299 and n = 240, total n = 539) that measured ACEs and made research diagnoses for SUDs. When controlling for other variables-age, gender, race, diagnostic category (psychotic disorder versus mood disorder), and study site (Washington, DC-area versus southeast Georgia)- in logistic regression models, ACE score was associated with tobacco use, presence of any SUD, alcohol use disorder, cannabis use disorder, and cocaine use disorder. Each one-unit increase in the ACE score increased the odds of SUD-related outcomes by 9-18%. Clinicians, program planners, and researchers should be aware of the powerful and long-lasting impact of ACEs, and the need for thorough screening and assessment of both SUDs and ACEs among patients with SMI.

A Community Navigation Scale for Persons With Serious Mental Illnesses.

OBJECTIVE: The recovery paradigm in the context of serious mental illnesses pertains to several characteristics of community functioning, adjustment, and integration, among other constructs. Additional rating scales would be beneficial for measuring various facets of community functioning for research that is recovery oriented as opposed to symptom focused. The Community Navigation Scale was developed as part of the Opening Doors to Recovery project to address several aspects of navigating community resources. METHODS: After item development, the 21-item Community Navigation Scale was used across two studies with 340 participants who had serious mental illnesses. Factor analysis revealed three potential factors, and subscales were computed. RESULTS: The social and physical well-being subscale (seven items, Cronbach's α=0.82) addressed community involvement, volunteering, finding enjoyable activities, and engaging in positive health behaviors. The accessing external resources subscale (nine items, Cronbach's α=0.80) tapped one's ability to obtain needed resources, ranging from medications to housing and from small appliances to classes in the community. The home and self-maintenance subscale (five items, Cronbach's α=0.73) measured abilities around shopping, cooking, cell phone use, house cleaning, and personal grooming and hygiene. Initial validity of the subscales was suggested through correlations with the Multnomah Community Ability Scale (r=0.65, 0.55, and 0.41 for social and physical well-being, accessing external resources, and home and self-maintenance, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The Community Navigation Scale assesses dimensions of community functioning among persons with serious mental illnesses and may add to the array of research and clinical measures pertinent to recovery outcomes. Additional research on its psychometric properties is warranted.

Characterizing Arrests and Charges Among Individuals With Serious Mental Illnesses in Public-Sector Treatment Settings.

Objective: Individuals with serious mental illnesses are overrepresented in all facets of the legal system. State-level criminal histories of patients with serious mental illnesses were analyzed to determine the proportion who had been arrested and number of lifetime arrests and charges, associations of six variables with number of arrests, and the most common charges from individuals' first two arrests and most recent two arrests. Methods: A total of 240 patients were recruited at three inpatient psychiatric facilities and gave consent to access their criminal history. Information was extracted from Record of Arrest and Prosecution (RAP) sheets for lifetime arrests in Georgia. Results: A total of 171 (71%) had been arrested. Their mean±SD lifetime arrests were 8.6±10.1, and mean lifetime charges were 12.6±14.6. In a Poisson regression, number of arrests was associated with lower educational attainment, Black or African American race, the presence of a substance use disorder, the presence of a mood disorder, and female sex. Common early charges included marijuana possession, driving under the influence of alcohol, and burglary and shoplifting. Common recent charges included probation violations, failure to appear in court, officer obstruction­related charges, and disorderly conduct. Conclusions: Findings point to a need for policy and program development in the legal system (e.g., pertaining to charges such as willful obstruction of an officer), the mental health community (e.g., to ensure that professionals know about clients' legal involvement and can partner in strategies to reduce arrests), and social services sectors (to address charges, such as shoplifting, often related to material disadvantage).

Failure to Appear: Mental Health Professionals' Role Amidst Pretrial Justice Reform.

Pretrial detention reform is keeping people who have been arrested on low-level charges out of jail while they await trial. This reform has implications for people with serious mental illnesses who are overrepresented in the criminal legal system and who can now stay connected to families, employment, community supports, and treatment providers while their cases are processed. However, such reforms may have uniquely negative consequences for those with serious mental illnesses. In this Open Forum, the authors argue that it is critical for mental health professionals to understand what pretrial reform entails and to incorporate planning around clients' criminal legal system involvement into their routine clinical work.

Associations Between Childhood and Adolescence Adversity and Risk for Arrest Among Patients With First-Episode Psychosis.

OBJECTIVE: The authors assessed associations between childhood and adolescent adversity and arrest among individuals with first-episode psychosis (FEP). The authors also sought to determine which domains of adversity had the greatest impact and whether associations varied by gender. METHODS: Data were analyzed from 247 patients with FEP admitted to inpatient psychiatric units between August 2008 and June 2013. Analyses focused on self-reported history of arrest and seven scales of past adversity, with 14 subscales reduced to three factors. Binary logistic regression and negative binomial regression determined associations between the three childhood adversity factors and having ever been arrested and number of arrests, respectively. RESULTS: Past experience of violence and environmental adversity was significantly (p<0.001) associated with both history of arrest (odds ratio=2.29) and number of arrests (ß=0.60), and this association was stronger for female patients than for male patients. CONCLUSIONS: Findings suggest a need to address both past adversity and criminal justice system involvement in the context of early psychosis specialty care.

Screening and Treatment of Tobacco Use Disorder in Mental Health Clinics in New York State: Current Status and Potential Next Steps.

The prevalence of smoking is higher among individuals with serious mental illnesses than the general population. Evidence-based practices exist for tobacco cessation, but little is known about mental health clinics' tobacco cessation treatment practices/protocols. Mental health clinics in New York State were surveyed about their tobacco use treatment protocols and outdoor-smoking policies. One-third of clinics were not providing individual counseling for tobacco use disorder, 39% were not prescribing nicotine replacement therapy, and nearly half reported not prescribing bupropion or varenicline. Even smaller proportions reported implementing other clinical practice guidelines, with only 25.2% providing staff training and 20.3% having a dedicated staff member for coordinating tobacco use disorder treatment. Regarding outdoor smoke-free policies, 38% of clinics reported not allowing any tobacco use anywhere on grounds. Despite some successes, many clinics do not provide evidence-based tobacco use treatments, meaning important opportunities exist for mental health clinics and oversight agencies to standardize practices.

Adversity in childhood/adolescence and premorbid tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use among first-episode psychosis patients.

AIM: Premorbid substance use is widely recognized as a crucial factor in early psychosis. We explored the effects of childhood/adolescent adversity on premorbid tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis use. We hypothesized that adversity in childhood would be associated with an increased likelihood of use, and amount of intake, of tobacco, alcohol, and cannabis. We analysed which domains of adversity have the greatest impact. METHODS: First-episode psychosis patients were enrolled from six inpatient psychiatric units in Atlanta, Georgia and Washington, D.C. Premorbid substance use was thoroughly measured, and childhood/adolescent adversity was rated using 14 scales/subscales. Factor analysis was used to reduce these scales/subscales to the three domains of adversity (termed Violence and Environmental Adversity, Interpersonal Abuse, and Neglect and Lack of Connectedness). Regression analyses determined associations between adversity domains and premorbid substance use. RESULTS: Our sample (n = 247) primarily consisted of African Americans (86.2%) and males (74.5%). Violence and Environmental Adversity was significantly associated with five of six substance use variables and marginally associated with the sixth. Interpersonal Abuse was unassociated with substance use, and Neglect and Lack of Connectedness was associated only with a lower likelihood cannabis use. When Violence and Environmental Adversity results were stratified by gender, effects on tobacco use and amount of tobacco use were stronger among females. CONCLUSIONS: Childhood/adolescent trauma and adversity have meaningful associations with premorbid substance use in first-episode psychosis patients. First-episode psychosis and clinical high-risk treatment settings may benefit from expanding the assessment of childhood/adolescent adversity to include factors pertaining to violence exposure and adversities beyond abuse and neglect.

Subjective social status, objective social status, and substance use among individuals with serious mental illnesses.

Subjective social status (SSS) and objective socioeconomic status (OSS) may appear to be similar social determinants of mental health, but are actually independently associated with diverse health outcomes including substance use and substance use disorders (SUDs). Such associations have not been examined among individuals with serious mental illnesses (SMI) despite their high prevalence of comorbid substance use; frequent treatment and recovery complications associated with such use; and high levels of economic disadvantage, discrimination, and inequities in this marginalized population. These psychosocial adversities manifest as poor mental illness outcomes, poor physical health, and early mortality in populations with SMI. We hypothesized that both SSS and OSS would predict substance use severity and SUD diagnoses in 240 patients with SMI. SSS, measured by the MacArthur Scale of Subjective Social Status, was unassociated with a composite measure of income and education used to operationalize OSS. Additionally, SSS and OSS were differentially associated with various types of substance use disorders. Only OSS was associated with whether individuals smoked cigarettes, or the level of nicotine dependence. Conversely, only SSS was associated with drug use severity. Our results shed light on the potential for differential impacts of SSS and OSS among persons with SMI.

Effects of perceived social status and discrimination on hope and empowerment among individuals with serious mental illnesses.

Hope and empowerment are key elements of recovery in the context of serious mental illnesses (SMI). We examined predictors of hope among individuals with SMI and tested a hypothesized path model in which perceived social status and perceived discrimination adversely impact hope, directly and through their impacts on depressive symptoms. Data from 232 individuals with SMI receiving care in public-sector settings were used in both a multiple linear regression (predicting Herth Hope Scale scores), and in path analyses examining both direct and indirect effects of perceived social status (Social Status Ladder) and perceived discrimination (Everyday Discrimination Scale). Depressive symptoms, perceived social status, and perceived discrimination were predictive of hope. Path analyses revealed that perceived social status has a direct effect on hope and empowerment but also impacts hope through its effects on depression. Similarly, perceived everyday discrimination affects hope and empowerment, though this effect is mediated through its effects on depression. Two alternative models and a trimmed hypothesized model did not fit the data or improve fit. These social determinants of mental health should provoke program and policy change to improve mental health and enhance recovery among persons with SMI.