The Severity, Frequency, and Variety of Crime in Heroin-Dependent Prisoners Enrolled in a Buprenorphine Clinical Trial.

Data were obtained on four dimensions of criminal activity (frequency, variety, severity, and income) from male and female prisoners (N = 200) with preincarceration heroin dependence who participated in a randomized clinical trial of buprenorphine treatment. The article examines the above-mentioned dimensions of crime and their relationships with demographic characteristics, substance use, legitimate employment, drug treatment episodes, and psychological problems. Results largely show several important similarities to results on previous prison inmate cohorts with histories of heroin addiction, although the present sample may have more of a tendency toward violent crime than earlier cohorts of heroin-dependent offenders. This study's findings may have implications for the design of appropriate treatment interventions for prisoners with preincarceration heroin dependence that address not only substance use but also criminal activity.

Understanding gambling in the United Kingdom: A qualitative study on the experiences of gamblers' families.

This study focuses on understanding the experiences of family members of problem gamblers in the United Kingdom and the gambling consequences in their lives. Family members of problem gamblers, even though they suffer from gambling consequences, the impacts of gambling are under-researched. Qualitative research through in-depth interviews was employed. Thematic analysis was used to gain a deeper insight into gambling. Nine female participants were interviewed based on a semi-structured questionnaire. The results of this study indicated that close family members of problem gamblers had suffered not only financial devastation but also harsh psychological and mental health damages. Furthermore, family members suffer from gamblers' abusive and violent behaviors. Addiction was a key factor of gamblers' habit; fear, anxiety, and depression were some of the health issues derived from gambling. Overall, gambling addiction leads to further addiction, crime, and severe, family-relation sufferings. The study results suggest that the London Gambling Commission and regulating authority should change gambling policy, reduce gambling points, and limit gambling slot machines in food markets and community areas. More support is needed for family members affected by gamblers' addictive gambling behaviors.

Childhood Bullying Victimization, Substance Use and Criminal Activity among Adolescents: A Multilevel Growth Model Study.

BACKGROUND: This study aims to examine the effects of childhood bullying victimization (CBV) on substance use and criminal activity among adolescents over time. In addition, it identifies the moderating effects of gender and race/ethnicity on the associations of CBV with substance abuse and criminal activity in adolescence and young adulthood. METHODS: This study included 8984 adolescents aged 12 to 18 years (Mage = 14.22 years) assessed biennially at four time points utilizing the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997. The two-level hierarchical linear modeling was employed to test the effects of CBV on substance use and criminal activity. RESULTS: The incidence of substance use increased over time throughout adolescence to young adulthood, while that of criminal activity decreased. CBV increased the risks of cigarette use, marijuana use, and criminal activity. Gender and race/ethnicity significantly moderated the effect of CBV on alcohol use and alcohol binges. The effect of CBV on alcohol use was stronger among females than males. Among Hispanic adolescents, CBV was more strongly related to alcohol use and binges compared to non-Hispanic White. CONCLUSION: Findings suggest the need for early intervention for children at high risk of being bullied to reduce later substance abuse and involvement in criminal activities. Considering the moderating effects of gender and ethnicity on the associations, target-specified intervention and prevention programs are also required. Further studies focusing on the lifelong effects of CBV beyond adolescence are recommended.

An Exploratory Investigation of Parental Incarceration, Emotional Independence, and Adult Children's Criminal Activity.

Although research suggests that parental incarceration is associated with intergenerational continuity in crime, the mechanisms underlying this association remain unclear. Using multi-population structural equation modeling and data from the Toledo Adolescent Relationships Study (n = 1207), the current study explored specific experiences associated with labeling as well as internalizing labels, including experiencing corporal punishment during childhood, criminal arrests during adolescence, and identifying as a troublemaker/partier in young adulthood (measured with reflected appraisals), as potential mechanisms linking parental incarceration and young adults' offending. We assessed whether this association differed by young adults' level of emotional independence, that is, freedom from the need for parental approval. We found that parental incarceration indirectly influenced criminal activity particularly through identifying as a troublemaker/partier during young adulthood but only for those who sought parental approval. Overall, we concluded that high emotional independence, or not seeking parental approval, may be a protective factor that facilitates intergenerational discontinuities in crime.

Performance-enhancing substance use and criminal offending: A 15-year prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Research has documented an association between anabolic-androgenic steroid (AAS) use and criminal offending. Still, whether legal performance-enhancing substance (e.g., creatine; PES) use is similarly associated with criminal offending is unknown. The aim of the present study was to determine the prospective associations between legal PES use and AAS use and criminal offending among U.S. adults. METHODS: Data from three waves over 15 years of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, a prospective cohort study, were analyzed. Legal PES use and AAS use were assessed at Wave III (ages 18-26) and criminal offending was assessed at Wave IV (ages 24-32; N = 10,861) and Wave V (ages 33-43; N = 9,451). Criminal offending was measured using a summed score of six items (range 0-6). Multiple negative binominal regressions were conducted, transformed to incident rate ratios (IRR), adjusting for biological sex, age, race/ethnicity, household income, body mass index, depression, smoking, alcohol, and prior victimization and offending. MAIN FINDINGS: Among the sample (51.3 % male; 68.8 % White), legal PES use (Wave IV: IRR 1.46, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.15-1.85; Wave V: IRR 1.52, 95 % CI 1.02-2.27) and AAS use (Wave IV: IRR 1.73, 95 % CI 1.09-2.76; Wave V: IRR 2.36, 95 % CI 1.33-4.19) were prospectively associated with criminal offending during young and middle adulthood, while adjusting for demographic and behavioral factors. CONCLUSIONS: These results confirm and expand upon prior research by describing the prospective associations between both legal PES use and AAS use and criminal offending among a nationally representative sample of U.S. adults.

The short-term impact on economic outcomes of SBIRT interventions implemented in reproductive health care settings.

OBJECTIVE: To estimate the impact of screening, brief intervention, and referral to treatment (SBIRT) administered in reproductive health care settings on a variety of economic outcomes, including general health care utilization, criminal activity, and motor vehicle crashes. Whether and by how much SBIRT affects economic outcomes are important unanswered questions related to the economic impact of this technique. METHODS: We collected data as part of a randomized clinical trial that examined whether SBIRT delivered electronically (e-SBIRT) or by a clinician (SBIRT) is superior to enhanced usual care (EUC) for substance misuse. Participants were a convenience sample of 439 women from two reproductive health care centers who used cigarettes, risky amounts of alcohol, illicit drugs, or misused prescription medication. For each participant, we measured economic outcomes by self-report 6 months pre- and post-intervention. We used difference-in-differences regression models to estimate the impact of e-SBIRT and SBIRT, compared to EUC, on changes in each of the economic outcomes from pre- to post-intervention. RESULTS: None of the difference-in-differences estimates weas statistically significant after adjusting for multiple comparisons. CONCLUSION: In a population of women receiving routine care in reproductive health care settings, we did not find a significant effect of either e-SBIRT or SBIRT, compared to EUC, on general health care utilization, criminal activity, or motor vehicle outcomes. However, individual trials are typically underpowered to detect effects that are small but important from a public health perspective. These results may be crucial for future systematic reviews and meta-analyses to determine the economic impact of SBIRT programs from a variety of perspectives.

Systematic Review of Criminal and Legal Involvement After Substance Use and Mental Health Treatment Among Veterans: Building Toward Needed Research.

Evidence indicates that substance use and mental health treatment is often associated with reduced criminal activity. The present systematic review examined this association among military veterans, and aimed to provide a comprehensive summary of needed research to further contribute to reduced criminal activity among veterans. This systematic review was derived from a scoping review that mapped existing research on justice-involved veterans' health. For the current systematic review, a subset of 20 publications was selected that addressed the question of whether criminal activity declines among veterans treated for substance use and mental health disorders. Generally, veterans improved on criminal outcomes from pre- to post-treatment for opioid use, other substance use, or mental health conditions, and more sustained treatment was associated with better outcomes. This occurred despite high rates of criminal involvement among veterans prior to entering treatment. Needed are substance use and mental health treatment studies that include women justice-involved veterans, follow criminally-active veterans for longer periods of time, and use validated and reliable measures of criminal activity with fully transparent statistical procedures. Future randomized trials should evaluate new treatments against evidence-based treatments (versus no-treatment control conditions). Subsequent studies should examine how to link veterans to effective treatments, facilitate sustained treatment engagement, and ensure the availability of effective treatments, and examine mechanisms (mediators and moderators) that explain the association of treatment with reduced criminal activity among veterans. Best practices are needed for reducing criminal activity among the minority of justice-involved veterans who do not have diagnosed substance use and/or mental health disorders.

Self-Evaluation Dimensions of Criminal Activity and Prospects Simulation of Persons Serving Custodial Sentence.

The article presents the self-evaluation indicators of the causes of criminal behavior committed by persons serving a custodial sentence at X institution, focusing on imprisonment and modeling of life prospects after release from prison. The main idea of the study is to reveal the subjective self-evaluation experience of persons serving custodial sentence with regard to criminal activity and simulation of future prospects. The scientific discussion of the article presents incarcerated persons' (N = 58) subjective self-evaluation data collected during the qualitative research and their theoretical-practical interpretation. Convicted persons' subjective self-evaluation and prospects simulation data enable stating certain features showing the discrepancy between their disposition and achievement of resocialization goals. This confirms the insufficiently interiorized reasonableness of punishment, personal perception, and realized motivation to change.

Initiating buprenorphine treatment prior to versus after release from prison: Arrest outcomes.

BACKGROUND: This secondary analysis of a randomized trial examines the association between initiation of buprenorphine treatment prior to, versus post-release, and rearrests during the 12-months following release. METHODS: Official rearrest data (N = 199) for the 12-months post-release were examined. Four outcomes were measured: (1) rearrested (yes/no), (2) time to rearrest, (3) number of rearrests, and (4) severity of charges (less severe vs. severe). RESULTS: A minority (43.1%) of the sample were rearrested (N = 91). There were no significant differences between study conditions in the proportion of rearrested participants [P = 0.28] nor in the mean number of arrests [P  = 0.15]. Likewise, the condition was not a significant predictor of the hazard of rearrest [p = 0.10]. The mean number of days until rearrest for the in prison vs. post-release buprenorphine conditions were not significantly different (205.8 days (SD  = 104.6) vs. 170.8 days (SD  = 113.1), respectively; P  = 0.13]. Treatment condition was not a significant predictor of the likelihood of rearrest for a severe crime compared to a less severe crime [P  = 0.09]. CONCLUSION: Despite the parent study finding of higher rates of post-release drug treatment entry in the group assigned to start buprenorphine treatment prior to, compared to post-release, there were no significant differences in the proportion of individuals arrested, the mean number of arrests, the time to first arrest, or the severity of their charges.

Facets of Male Violence Against Women With Substance Abuse Problems: Women With a Residence and Homeless Women.

The aims of this study were to investigate the type and extent to which women with substance abuse problems have been exposed to male violence during their lifetime, and to examine possible differences between women with a residence (WR) and homeless women (HW). The total sample included 79 women (WR, n = 35; HW, n = 44; M age = 47.8 years). Of the total sample, 72 women (91%) had experienced different kinds of male violence, 88% from former partners, and 26% from male friends or acquaintances. Of the 72 women, 71% further reported "Countless occasions of violent events," and 36% had been forced to commit criminal acts. Abused women who had been forced to commit criminal acts were significantly more frequently found to be homeless, have reported parental alcohol and/or drug problems, have witnessed domestic violence in childhood, have been victims of sexual violence, have used illicit drugs as a dominant preparation, and have injected illicit drugs. Almost half of the abused women (46%) met criteria for posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), where HW showed an almost 4-time higher risk (RR 3.78) than WR. In conclusion there is a particular vulnerability in women with substance abuse to male violence, which has an important impact on their health status. Thus, from a public health perspective, it is suggested that for those women who have experienced male violence, treatment protocols need to include both assessing and addressing the impact of such experience in relation to substance abuse as well as concomitant health concerns.