Collateral consequences of COVID-19 for people on probation and parole.

BACKGROUND: While the severe detrimental impact of COVID-19 on incarcerated people is well known, little is known about the experience of COVID-19 on those on community supervision. Our objective was to better understand the experience of the COVID-19 pandemic and its collateral consequences for those on community supervision (e.g., probation, parole). Beginning in December 2020, we conducted 185 phone surveys about COVID-19 with participants in The Southern Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) Study across its three sites - Florida, Kentucky, and North Carolina. We conducted rapid assessment interviews with both closed- and open-ended questions. We calculated descriptive statistics for close-ended questions and conducted a content analysis for open-ended questions. RESULTS: The COVID-19 pandemic affected those on community supervision through their experiences in the community and while incarcerated with over one-quarter of participants being reincarcerated during this time. In addition to many (128/185) experiencing COVID-19 symptoms, about half (85/185) of participants reported a diagnosis in their network with 16 of those participants losing loved ones to the pandemic. Participants experienced disruptions to their social network, healthcare, and livelihoods. Though many maintained their support systems, others felt isolated and depressed. Experiences during COVID-19 exacerbated difficulties already faced by those with criminal involvement. CONCLUSIONS: The public health community must recognize those experiencing probation and parole, not only those housed in carceral facilities, as disproportionately impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. We must tailor programs and services to meet their needs.

"Nothing but a rope to hang yourself:" The toll of mass supervision on mental well-being.

While incarceration has proven detrimental to mental well-being, it remains unknown if community supervision is better for mental well-being than incarceration. Our objective was to explore the individual- and community-level relationships between community supervision and mental well-being and to examine inequities by race. We conducted 20 in-depth interviews with individuals on community supervision (e.g., probation, parole) in North Carolina and conducted thematic analysis separately by race. For many, criminal legal involvement began at a young age, often due to substance use for White individuals or over-policing for Black participants. The themes were: (1) "It's a Thursday. Move on.": surviving over the life course in the context of the criminal legal system; (2) "Merry go round of death": the criminal legal system as a trap; (3) "I love you, but I have to love you from over here": social support as a double-edged sword while on community supervision; and (4) " [Probation] ain't nothing but a rope to hang yourself": mental health issues created and exacerbated by criminal legal involvement. Individuals' experiences on community supervision were often dehumanizing and difficult, preventing them from achieving well-being. This system must be redesigned to meet individual and community needs.

The Factors that Motivate Law Enforcement's Use of Force: A Systematic Review.

Media attention relevant to law enforcement use of force in the last decade finally alerted the scientific community to the need for more research regarding law enforcement discretion and decision making. The purpose of this study was to synthesize the existing literature to explore the motivating factors for law enforcement use of force. This study will utilize a social-ecological framework to systematically examine factors that impact officer decisions to use force at the individual and community levels. The paper includes recommendations for research and practice through an equity lens that highlights the disparate use of force against men of color in particular. Interventions, trainings, education, and research to stop the promotion of perceived safety over justice will be highlighted.

Pacinian Signals Determine the Direction and Magnitude of the Effect of Vibration on Pain.

Although the ability of vibration to reduce pain has been extensively documented, an occasional participant reports that vibration increases pain. For pain patients, such reports may reflect pathophysiology, but this is unlikely in studies of experimental pain in healthy participants. In the present series of experiments on 27 pain-free individuals, we manipulated both the frequency (12, 50, and 80 Hz) and amplitude of vibration to more fully characterize vibratory pain modulation. The noxious stimulus was pressure applied to a finger, and vibration was delivered to the fleshy palmar pad at the base of the same finger. Subjects continuously reported pain on a Visual Analog Scale. Intermittent vibration was used to minimize peripheral vibratory adaptation. Pain records at 12 and 50 Hz were similar; pooling them revealed significant hypoalgesia at the highest amplitude. At 80 Hz, in contrast, the middle amplitude produced hypoalgesia, but a significant shift toward hyperalgesia occurred at the highest amplitude. The strong correlation ( r = .81) between the Pacinian-weighted power of a vibration and the absolute value of the pain modulation it produces indicates that the Pacinian system plays a key role in vibratory hypoalgesia or hyperalgesia.