142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition

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How do individual psycho-social characteristics of high risk offenders interact with different urban environments to determine reentry outcomes?

142nd APHA Annual Meeting and Exposition (November 15 - November 19, 2014): http://www.apha.org/events-and-meetings/annual
Monday, November 17, 2014 : 1:10 PM - 1:30 PM

Sonita Singh, MPH, PhD(s) , School of Law, Payson Center for International Development, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Ashley Campbell, MAPC , LA Dept. of Public Safety & Corrections, Baton Rouge, LA
Rebecca Lipschutz, BS Candidate 2014 , Department of Neuroscience, Tulane University, New Orleans, LA
Alexandra Priebe, PHD (c), MPH, MA , Louisiana Public Health Institute, New Orleans, LA
Frank Palestina , New Orleans District (NOD), LA Dept. of Public Safety & Corrections, New Orleans, LA
Rhett Covington , LA Dept. of Public Safety & Corrections, Baton Rouge, LA
Peter Scharf, EdD , Department of Global Health Systems and Development, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA
Audio (mp3) recording Recorded Presentation (mp4)
Background: Corrections facilities have linked several psycho-social domains as predictors for recidivism, including treatment readiness, criminal thinking, trauma, drug dependence, psychological functioning, and social function. It is unclear how these psycho-social factors interact with high risk offenders’ outcomes once released into different urban environments that distinctly vary in crime and violence rates.   

The study aims are 1) Describe psycho-social functioning of reentry offenders selected for the highest risk for violent crime categories (Crime of Violence-COV, Firearms, Drug distribution, Arrest History); 2) Determine the relationship between offenders criminal history and assessed psycho-social needs; and 3) Examine interactions between psycho-social needs of offender groups released into high and low crime zipcodes and their outcomes.

Methods:  Quantitative analysis was conducted on data obtained from a longitudinal study of 145 offenders released on Probation and Parole (P&P) into New Orleans zipcodes identified as high and low risk for violence. TCU Psycho-social assessments were administered to participants and 18 month recidivism and other outcomes were collected. TCU Scores and outcome data utilized two-way ANOVA and bivariate analysis techniques.   

Results:  Released offenders arrested for crimes of violence, even when combined with drug and gun charges had significantly lower psycho-social needs than those with only drug and/or gun charges. Offenders released to higher crime zipcodes had significantly to moderately greater psycho-social needs than those in lower crime zipcodes. 

Conclusions:  The study suggests that offenders released into geographic areas with high risk of crime may have greater need for multi-dimensional services and are at greater risk for recidivism.

Learning Areas:

Conduct evaluation related to programs, research, and other areas of practice
Diversity and culture
Program planning
Social and behavioral sciences
Systems thinking models (conceptual and theoretical models), applications related to public health

Learning Objectives:
Describe psycho-social needs of high risk offenders of violent crime Discuss relationship between criminal history patterns and psycho-social assessment of criminal thinking and other domains Compare interactions of psycho-social domains with offenders in high and low risk crime areas for outcomes including incarceration and recidivism

Keyword(s): Criminal Justice, Violence & Injury Prevention

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been the principal or co-principal of several federally or privately funded grants specific to HIV, international infectious disease prevention and currently reentry for offenders and offenders with co-occurring disorders. I also function as the research coordinator and am responsible for the bulk of analysis, authoring report, monitoring program fidelity and overall program evaluation for the aforementioned projects. My interests include pro-poor policy development based on quantitative and qualitative research.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 3229.0: Disproportionate Minority Contact (DMC): Who are we jailing? The phenomenon of Black and Latino youth coming in contact with the criminal justice system.