Severe mental illness and contact with the criminal justice system: Toward an understanding of risk and protective factors

Mentally ill individuals are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Impoverished social networks are a major risk factor for this population, yet no studies to date have examined whether the nature of social networks impacts the likelihood of arrest for these individuals. This study will explore the relationship between severe mental illness, substance abuse, and social network characteristics in predicting arrest. Three major variables of interest (size of social network, degree of contact with social network, substance abuse) and five demographic covariates were included in the present model. A binary logistic regression analysis was conducted, including substance abuse as a moderator of social network characteristics in predicting arrest, with a sample of 119 severely mentally ill persons. Results indicate that the overall model is significant (X2 = 51.9662, df=8, p<.0001). Individuals with a high degree of contact with their social network were 4.8 times more likely to have been arrested (OR=4.766, 95% CI=.1234, 18.410). Larger social networks decreased the likelihood of having been arrested by approximately 28% at borderline statistical significance (OR=.277, p=.06). Those with a substance abuse diagnosis were 23 times more likely to have been arrested (OR=23.230, 95% CI=5.948, 90.722) and mentally ill men were 11 times more likely to have been arrested (OR=10.931, 95% CI=3.019, 39.585). Based on findings, interventions aimed at increasing social networks may reduce contact with the criminal justice system for this population.