Intellectual and developmental disabilities in Ontario's criminal justice and forensic mental health systems: Using data to tell the story.

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.

Prevalence of Problem Gambling Among Women Using Shelter and Drop-in Services.

People experiencing poverty/homelessness have higher rates of problematic gambling than the general population. Yet, research on gambling among this population is sparse, notably among women. This study examined prevalence of problematic gambling among women using shelter and drop-in services in Ontario, Canada. The NORC Diagnostic Screen for Disorders was administered to women during visits to 15 sites using time/location methodology. Within a sample of 162 women, the prevalence of at-risk (6.2%), problem (9.3%), and pathological gambling (19.1%) was higher than the general population. Among women who scored at-risk or higher, 55.4% met criteria for pathological gambling. The findings suggest that women seeking shelter and drop-in services are vulnerable to problematic gambling. Creating awareness of this vulnerability within the shelter and drop-in service sector is an important first step to support women with gambling problems who face financial and housing precarity.

Intellectual/developmental disabilities among people incarcerated in federal correctional facilities in Ontario, Canada: Examining prevalence, health and correctional characteristics.

BACKGROUND: There is little research with people who experience intellectual/developmental disabilities and imprisonment. METHODS: The study linked health and correctional data to examine prevalence of intellectual/developmental disabilities and health and correctional characteristics among adults experiencing their first federal incarceration between 1 January 2002 and 31 December 2011 (n = 9278) and two non-incarcerated groups (n = 10,086,802). RESULTS: The prevalence of intellectual/developmental disabilities was 2.1% in the incarcerated group and 0.9% in the non-incarcerated group. Before incarceration, those with, versus without, intellectual/developmental disabilities were at greater risk of traumatic brain injury, mental illness, and substance use disorders. While incarcerated, those with intellectual/developmental disabilities were more likely to incur serious institutional disciplinary charges. Post-incarceration, persons with intellectual/developmental disabilities were at greater risk of emergency department visits, and psychiatric and acute hospitalizations, than the non-incarcerated groups. CONCLUSIONS: People with intellectual/developmental disabilities are overrepresented in Canadian federal correctional institutions. The authors offer strategies to support people prior to, during, and post-incarceration.

Filling the GAP: Integrating a gambling addiction program into a shelter setting for people experiencing poverty and homelessness.

The burden of harm from problem gambling weighs heavily on those experiencing poverty and homelessness, yet most problem gambling prevention and treatment services are not designed to address the complex needs and challenges of this population. To redress this service gap, a multi-service agency within a shelter setting in a large urban centre developed and implemented a population-tailored, person-centred, evidence-informed gambling addiction program for its clients. The purpose of this article is to report on qualitative findings from an early evaluation of the program, the first designed to address problem gambling for people experiencing poverty and/or homelessness and delivered within a shelter service agency. Three themes emerged which were related to three program outcome categories. These included increasing awareness of gambling harms and reducing gambling behaviour; reorienting relationships with money; and, seeking, securing, and stabilizing shelter. The data suggest that problem gambling treatment within the context of poverty and homelessness benefits from an approach and setting that meets the unique needs of this community. The introduction of gambling treatment into this multi-service delivery model addressed the complex needs of the service users through integrated and person-centered approaches to care that responded to client needs, fostered therapeutic relationships, reduced experiences of discrimination and stigma, and enhanced recovery. In developing the Gambling Addiction Program, the agency drew on evidence-based approaches to problem gambling treatment and extensive experience working with the target population. Within a short timeframe, the program supported participants in the process of recovery, enhancing their understanding and control of their gambling selves, behaviours, and harms. This project demonstrates that gambling within the context of poverty requires a unique treatment space and approach.

The prevalence and health status of people with developmental disabilities in provincial prisons in Ontario, Canada: A retrospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Data on the prevalence of developmental disabilities in people who experience imprisonment and on their characteristics are lacking. METHODS: The present authors identified adults with developmental disabilities who were released from Ontario provincial prisons in 2010 and a general population comparator group using administrative data. The present authors examined demographic characteristics, morbidity and healthcare use. RESULTS: The prevalence of developmental disabilities was 2.2% in the prison group (N = 52,302) and 0.7% in the general population (N = 10,466,847). The prevalence of psychotic illness, substance-related disorder and self-harm was higher among people in the prison group with developmental disabilities. People with developmental disabilities were more likely to have emergency department visits and hospitalizations in prison and in the year after release. CONCLUSIONS: People with developmental disabilities are overrepresented in provincial prisons and have a high burden of disease. Strategies are indicated to prevent incarceration and to improve health.

Refugee maternal and perinatal health in Ontario, Canada: a retrospective population-based study.

OBJECTIVES: Immigrants are thought to be healthier than their native-born counterparts, but less is known about the health of refugees or forced migrants. Previous studies often equate refugee status with immigration status or country of birth (COB) and none have compared refugee to non-refugee immigrants from the same COB. Herein, we examined whether: (1) a refugee mother experiences greater odds of adverse maternal and perinatal health outcomes compared with a similar non-refugee mother from the same COB and (2) refugee and non-refugee immigrants differ from Canadian-born mothers for maternal and perinatal outcomes. DESIGN: This is a retrospective population-based database study. We implemented two cohort designs: (1) 1:1 matching of refugees to non-refugee immigrants on COB, year and age at arrival (±5 years) and (2) an unmatched design using all data. SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Refugee immigrant mothers (n=34 233), non-refugee immigrant mothers (n=243 439) and Canadian-born mothers (n=615 394) eligible for universal healthcare insurance who had a hospital birth in Ontario, Canada, between 2002 and 2014. PRIMARY OUTCOMES: Numerous adverse maternal and perinatal health outcomes. RESULTS: Refugees differed from non-refugee immigrants most notably for HIV, with respective rates of 0.39% and 0.20% and an adjusted OR (AOR) of 1.82 (95% CI 1.19 to 2.79). Other elevated outcomes included caesarean section (AOR 1.04, 95% CI 1.00 to 1.08) and moderate preterm birth (AOR 1.08, 95% CI 0.99 to 1.17). For the majority of outcomes, refugee and non-refugee immigrants experienced similar AORs when compared with Canadian-born mothers. CONCLUSIONS: Refugee status was associated with a few adverse maternal and perinatal health outcomes, but the associations were not strong except for HIV. The definition of refugee status used herein may not sensitively identify refugees at highest risk. Future research would benefit from further refining refugee status based on migration experiences.