Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health最新文献

{"title":"The Incompetent to Stand Trial Crisis and Homelessness: Cause or Effect?","authors":"Barbara E McDermott, Ella Suh, Katherine Warburton","doi":"10.1002/cbm.70054","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.70054","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>Homelessness is a pervasive societal problem for large numbers of people, leading to numerous negative outcomes. Research has shown that the prevalence of mental disorders among individuals experiencing homelessness is consistently higher than in the general population, in turn, being associated with a higher likelihood of incarceration. In California, this may relate to the rapidly increasing numbers of individuals found incompetent to stand trial since 2010.</p><p><strong>Aims: </strong>We sought to explore relationships between homelessness, mental disorders and community mental health treatment in the 6 months before an index offence in a cohort of individuals found incompetent to stand trial. Our primary research questions were as follows: Among those found incompetent to stand trial, (1) are data collected at one state hospital representative of the entire system? and (2) how, if at all, are living situation, mental disorders and prior treatment related?</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>We gathered information from interviews and inpatient records about individuals found incompetent to stand trial and committed to at least one of four of the five hospitals operated by the California Department of State Hospitals over a 2-5-month period in 2016/2017. We also obtained data from the California state Medicaid system to access data on treatment in the community in the 6 months prior to the index charge. These datasets were then combined.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Data were available on 396 individuals, approximately 60% of those found incompetent to stand trial and ordered to inpatient treatment in the study period; 333 of them were matched in the mental health treatment dataset. Almost half were homeless and unsheltered at the time of their arrest; a similar proportion had received no Medicaid-funded mental health community treatment in the 6 months prior to their arrest. Analyses revealed a relationship between housing status and receiving emergency treatment, with men particularly disadvantaged in regard to receiving any mental health treatment.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our data are consistent with many other studies to the extent that we found high rates of both psychosis and homelessness among individuals found incompetent to stand trial. Men are particularly disadvantaged in accessing necessary mental health treatment in these circumstances. Our study adds detail that may help recognise those in special need, on public safety and on personal grounds. California's fairly new Community Assistance, Recovery, and Empowerment Act 2024 may be a useful vehicle for improvement, but work may have to begin with building a clinically appropriate, integrated community mental health infrastructure that meets the complex needs of this population.</p>","PeriodicalId":47362,"journal":{"name":"Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health","volume":" ","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-16","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149208024","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Psychiatric Emergency Presentations in Detained Adolescents: A Comparison With Community-Living Adolescents","authors":"Maria Carolina Lobato Machado,&nbsp;Marcela de Moura Rezende,&nbsp;Izabela Lara Borém,&nbsp;Maria Eugênia Rezeck Braga Hibner,&nbsp;Danilo Barcellos Nogueira,&nbsp;Luciana Rodrigues da Cunha,&nbsp;Rodrigo Nicolato,&nbsp;Debora Marques de Miranda","doi":"10.1002/cbm.70051","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbm.70051","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Adolescents involved in the juvenile justice system have high rates of psychiatric disorder and social vulnerability. Those in custodial or semi-custodial detention may be particularly vulnerable to psychiatric emergencies, but the clinical factors associated with these crises remain insufficiently understood.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Objective</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To characterise the sociodemographic and clinical profiles of detained adolescents attending a psychiatric emergency service and compare them with those of community-living adolescents.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In this retrospective cross-sectional study, we reviewed the medical records of all patients presenting to a public child and adolescent psychiatry emergency service in Brazil over 1 year. Detained adolescents aged 12–17 years were compared with community-living adolescents regarding sociodemographic characteristics, psychiatric diagnoses and presenting complaints.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Of 1206 adolescents, 160 (13%) were detained. Compared with community-living adolescents, detained adolescents were more likely to be male (86%: 53%), older (mean [SD] 15.9 [1.1]: 14.9 [1.6] years) and to identify as Black (13%: 8%). Stress-related/adjustment disorders (30%:10%), conduct disorder (27%:10%) and substance use disorders (26%:20%), were more frequent among detained adolescents, whereas depression was less frequent (26%:35%). Emergency consultations involving detained adolescents were more likely to include insomnia (43%: 19%) and suicide attempts (26%: 18%), whereas behavioural presentations such as agitation, aggressiveness, irritability, disobedience and attention difficulties were comparatively less frequent.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Emergency psychiatric presentations among detained adolescents were more strongly associated with stress-related disorders, suicidal behaviour, sleep disturbance and substance-related problems than with behavioural disturbance alone. These findings have implications for emergency psychiatric assessment within juvenile justice settings.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47362,"journal":{"name":"Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health","volume":"36 5","pages":"220-227"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbm.70051","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148983887","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Depression, Anxiety and Criminal Behaviour Between Ages 32 and 48: A Propensity Score Matching Analysis From the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development","authors":"Kim Reising,&nbsp;Maria M. Ttofi","doi":"10.1002/cbm.70036","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbm.70036","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Depression, anxiety and criminal behaviour are often correlated, but the direction and nature of these associations remain contested.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To investigate the temporal relationships between depression and/or anxiety and criminal behaviour at age 32 and depression and/or anxiety and criminal behaviour at age 48.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Using prospective, longitudinal data from the Cambridge Study in Delinquent Development, we applied propensity score matching to estimate the associations between (a) depression and/or anxiety at age 32 and criminal convictions at age 48 and (b) criminal convictions at age 32 and mental health problems at age 48. Propensity score matching (PSM) was used to adjust for a wide range of childhood and adolescent risk factors for offending or illness.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Overall, a significant association between depression and anxiety and much later offending was evident, but after allowing for childhood adversities by propensity score matching, these relationships disappeared, suggesting that they are best explained by the common antecedent of childhood adversities. There was no relationship between any offending up to age 32 and depression or anxiety measured at age 48.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Although our findings were limited by the very large time gap between measures of mental health and offending, it is clear that depression and anxiety may be important in the pathway to crime, but that this association is largely accounted for by shared early-life risk factors. Our findings also, however, caution against assuming any direct relationship between these symptoms and crime, regardless of direction. Recognising early developmental vulnerabilities and intervening appropriately may be the most effective way of preventing later ill health and criminal behaviour.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47362,"journal":{"name":"Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health","volume":"36 5","pages":"236-246"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbm.70036","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147844524","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"An Examination of the Association Between Callous-Unemotional Traits, Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement and Offending Behaviour Among a Sample of Young Serious Offenders","authors":"James V. Ray","doi":"10.1002/cbm.70052","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbm.70052","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Research has shown that young people with elevated callous-unemotional traits are also likely to be morally disengaged and may justify their offending behaviour. Moral disengagement may, thus, explain the cognitive processes leading to their offending. Moral disengagement, however, is a multifaceted construct, and research has yet to examine the role of its distinct components in the callous-unemotional traits/offending pathway.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Aims&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;This study aims to explore associations between callous-unemotional traits and components of moral disengagement in young offenders by testing a mediation model to determine whether the effect of callous-unemotional traits on delinquency operates through each element of moral disengagement.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Data were from an existing longitudinal study of 1124 14–18-year-old serious offenders—the US-based Pathways to Desistance Study. In this study, callous-unemotional traits were measured using the Youth Psychopathic Traits Inventory, and elements of moral disengagement were measured using the Mechanisms of Moral Disengagement scale. Callous-unemotional traits, the mechanisms of moral disengagement and self-reported offending behaviours were measured consecutively at 6-month intervals. Longitudinal mediation analysis was conducted to determine whether each specific element of moral disengagement mediated any association between callous-unemotional traits and self-reported delinquency.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Bivariate analysis and comparison of correlation coefficients confirmed that callous-unemotional traits were associated with serious delinquency and also with elements of moral judgement and euphemistic language. Longitudinal mediation analyses suggested that all but two (diffusion of responsibility and displacement of responsibility) elements of moral disengagement individually and collectively mediated the relationship between callous-unemotional traits and delinquency; the higher the callous-unemotional trait score, the higher also was moral disengagement, in turn, associated with more delinquency.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusion&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The findings replicate prior research suggesting that a key mechanism in the link between callous-unemotional traits and delinquency lies in moral disengagement but go further in specifying the components of moral disengagement likely to be most relevant. This has implications for more accurately targeted interventions for reducing reoffending a","PeriodicalId":47362,"journal":{"name":"Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health","volume":"36 5","pages":"228-235"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"149041438","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Experiences of Prisoners Living With Mental Health Conditions and Seeking or Receiving Mental Health Support in Prisons: An Integrative Review","authors":"Anne Kairu,&nbsp;Judith Dyson,&nbsp;Damian Breen,&nbsp;James Skinner,&nbsp;Manuela Jarrett,&nbsp;Joanne Brooke","doi":"10.1002/cbm.70046","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbm.70046","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Prisoners experience poor mental health and well-being in prison, including severe mental illnesses. However, access to mental health support and treatment in prison is limited. We conducted an integrative review to synthesise prisoners' experiences of living with mental ill health and/or seeking or receiving mental health support in prisons.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A systematic search of peer-reviewed empirical studies published from 2014 to 2024 was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Databases searched included Medline, PsycINFO and CINAHL. We included studies of adult prisoners (aged ≥ 18 years) experiencing poor mental health who sought or received help. We were inclusive in our definitions of “poor mental health” and “support” to capture papers where prisoners may not have a formal diagnosis and where support may have been pastoral or delivered by healthcare practitioners.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Nineteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Four main themes emerged. The first encompassed the range of emotions and feelings experienced, predominantly negative. The second was about the accessibility of mental health services, evidenced not only by limited availability but also by a general lack of support, service providers being described as lacking empathy and coercion to take medication. The third theme was of more internalised barriers to help-seeking, including a sense of stigma and concerns about confidentiality. The fourth theme was about coping strategies, including support from peers, family and religious practices but also maladaptive coping strategies such as self-harm.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Prisoners experienced unmet mental health needs. Poor service experiences added to the burden, only partly met through constructive alternatives. Serious, sometimes dangerous maladaptive coping suggests that current access to and suitability of formal healthcare services should be reconsidered within the context of wider methods of pastoral support. Future research on the role of the wider prison community in providing mental health and well-being support is needed.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Trial Registration</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>The protocol for this review is registered on PROSPERO CRD42024581279. Available from https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42024581279</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47362,"journal":{"name":"Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health","volume":"36 5","pages":"196-210"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbm.70046","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148585516","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Assault-on-Law-Enforcement: The Complications of Charges for Individuals on Mental Health Court Dockets","authors":"Steven Keener,&nbsp;Audrey Morrison","doi":"10.1002/cbm.70048","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbm.70048","url":null,"abstract":"&lt;div&gt;\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Background&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;Mental health courts divert individuals with serious mental illness away from imprisonment into community-based treatment and supervision. Early research indicates that such treatment contracts can reduce recidivism and provide various other benefits. Aspects of eligibility for this diversion option are still under-researched.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Aims&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;To explore the nature of alleged offences against people accepted into mental health courts (on mental health court dockets), and their demographic and mental health context and their perceived relevance to eligibility for such diversion.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Methods&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;We used a sequential mixed-methods design in which semi-structured interviews were conducted after completion of quantitative data collection from the State of Virginia's behavioural and therapeutic court docket cases in 2022–2023. The State provides open online data on demographics and the nature of alleged offences for all mental health court-adjudicated cases. The qualitative part of the study involved semi-structured interviews with behavioural health docket coordinators across Virginia about their perceptions of how the nature of alleged criminal offences affects potential mental health court participation and the dynamics with other disciplines in the system that may be relevant to decision-making here.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Results&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The most commonly alleged offence was assault-on-law-enforcement officers, an offence that, if convicted, carries a mandatory prison sentence. This was disproportionately charged against Black men. Qualitative findings revealed that the coordinators viewed assault-on-law-enforcement officers as likely to have occurred when defendants were in a state of mental health crisis, with resultant perceptions of law enforcement as a threat, and thus, usually, a mental health solution was likely to be in the best interests of all parties. There was local variation in processing, but a sense that local prosecutors hold disproportionate power, and defence lawyers are constrained by ideological advice rather than knowledge of optimal outcomes for their client.&lt;/p&gt;\u0000 &lt;/section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;section&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;h3&gt; Conclusions&lt;/h3&gt;\u0000 \u0000 &lt;p&gt;The punitive 6-month mandatory minimum jail term that must follow a conviction for an assault-on-law-enforcement officer may put both justice and safety at risk. Black men are disproportionately likely to be subject to suc","PeriodicalId":47362,"journal":{"name":"Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health","volume":"36 5","pages":"211-219"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbm.70048","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148888861","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Optimising the Ethics of Research in Prison and Probation Settings: Reflections From the Field","authors":"Laura Pope,&nbsp;Sandra Flynn,&nbsp;Alison Baird,&nbsp;Jenny Shaw,&nbsp;Verity Wainwright","doi":"10.1002/cbm.70050","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbm.70050","url":null,"abstract":"","PeriodicalId":47362,"journal":{"name":"Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health","volume":"36 5","pages":"193-195"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-10-14","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148888799","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Ethnicity and Pathway Progression: A Retrospective Cohort Study of Male Offenders Managed Under London Offender Personality Disorder Pathway Services","authors":"Roxanna Short,&nbsp;Sofia Turrientes Cordero,&nbsp;Philip Minoudis,&nbsp;Darrick Jolliffe,&nbsp;Mandip Brar,&nbsp;Jake Shaw,&nbsp;Colin Campbell","doi":"10.1002/cbm.70044","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbm.70044","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>In the United Kingdom, the Offender Personality Disorder (OPD) Pathway provides a psychologically informed pathway of services—from screening to formulation to referral to treatments/interventions—for men and women whose offending is linked to their complex mental health needs. Evidence shows that individuals from most ethnic minority groups in the United Kingdom are over-represented at all stages of the criminal justice system (including arrests, cautions and convictions). Such individuals may, however, be disadvantaged in terms of their access to and engagement with this specialist service.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aim</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To examine the extent to which self-reported ethnicity was associated with progression through discrete stages of the OPD Pathway in London.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Linked administrative data from 8816 men who screened into the OPD Pathway from 2011 to 2022 were used to examine the association between self-reported ethnicity (categorised as White, Black, Asian or mixed) and the last known recorded Pathway stage (screened-in and no further work, case consultation/formulation, referral to services, accessing service and completion).</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Adjusting for baseline risk, time on the OPD Pathway and London borough, we found that those who self-identified as Black (compared to White) were under-represented at all stages of the Pathway (compared to baseline), suggesting that these individuals tended to get ‘stuck’ at the early Pathway stages.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>These findings add weight to suggestions of probably disproportionate disadvantage among men identifying as Black in accessing important dedicated services for offenders with personality disorder. Our data have been used to inform exploration of programme changes, and next steps will include exploration of what has driven this under-representation of non-White ethnic groups across the service and whether more sensitively informed strategies can improve equitable access and benefits.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47362,"journal":{"name":"Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health","volume":"36 4","pages":"173-178"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbm.70044","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148399591","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Can Moral and Cognitive Agency Help Young People Exposed to Parental Maltreatment Avoid Offending as Adults?","authors":"Glenn D. Walters","doi":"10.1002/cbm.70043","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbm.70043","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Focus on assessing the likelihood of harms, including the risk of committing criminal offences, has tended to be on negative events or characteristics, but promotive factors—positive events/characteristics—and protective factors—developmental features that may facilitate management of the negative—may be just as important. Stages of moral and cognitive agency development are among the latter.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aims</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To determine whether moral and/or cognitive agency helps prevent offending in adulthood among adolescents at risk of becoming offenders after parental maltreatment. The hypothesis was that adolescents at such risk who had stronger moral judgement and cognitive control skills would be less likely to become adult offenders than those with lower moral and cognitive skills.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Data were from the longitudinal, prospective, USA-based Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study. Data used here were from 2669 participants (1267 males and 1402 females) assessed when 14–19 years old and when 21–26 years old. In the earlier data collection wave, information included one parent's account of parental maltreatment during the previous year and measures of the adolescent's moral judgement and cognitive control skills. Data for the second wave included the young person's reports of any criminal charge between the ages of 18 and 22.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>A statistically significant association between parental maltreatment and a later criminal charge was confirmed, even after controlling for fixed variables, including sex and ethnicity. Regression analysis revealed that moral agency moderated the relationship between parental maltreatment and subsequent charges, but cognitive agency did not. Moral agency as an adolescent reduced the likelihood of future adult offending in youth exposed to high parental maltreatment.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusions</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Adverse experiences as an adolescent are linked to later offending, but not inevitably so. Recognition that adolescent moral agency is protective may help direct scarce resources into more effective prevention strategies.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47362,"journal":{"name":"Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health","volume":"36 4","pages":"165-172"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148406286","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inmates' Experiences of Rehabilitation and Self-Perception: A Sense of Coherence Exploration From Leeuwkop Correctional Centre","authors":"Bonginkosi Ndimande,&nbsp;Elizabeth Archer","doi":"10.1002/cbm.70045","DOIUrl":"10.1002/cbm.70045","url":null,"abstract":"<div>\u0000 \u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Background</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Rehabilitation is a central objective of correctional services in South Africa, intended to support behavioural change, reduce recidivism and contribute to successful reintegration. Despite this mandate, concerns regarding persistent recidivism and prison overcrowding remain. Less is known about how incarcerated individuals themselves experience rehabilitation and make sense of it.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Aim</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>To explore how incarcerated individuals describe and make sense of their experiences of rehabilitation within a South African correctional setting.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Methods</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Forty repeat-offending men serving custodial sentences at Leeuwkop Correctional Centre, South Africa, and having taken part in some rehabilitation programmes there, agreed to participate in semi-structured interviews about their experiences of the rehabilitation work. Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis. Findings were partially validated through interviews with eight professional staff members who had been delivering aspects of the rehabilitation work. Themes were subsequently interpreted using the Sense of Coherence framework.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Results</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Prisoner participants described shifts in self-perception, including increased self-awareness, a greater sense of personal responsibility and more future-oriented perspectives. These experiences broadly fit with the Sense of Coherence components of comprehensibility, manageability and meaningfulness. Such shifts were not, however, uniform and were often described as tentative and shaped by contextual constraints.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 \u0000 <section>\u0000 \u0000 <h3> Conclusion</h3>\u0000 \u0000 <p>Rehabilitation was experienced not only as a behavioural intervention but also as a process of meaning-making and identity reconstruction. By applying the Sense of Coherence framework as a postanalytic interpretive lens, this study offers a novel way of understanding how incarcerated individuals experience rehabilitation and perhaps internalise key aspects of it. Further longitudinal research is needed to examine the sustainability of these perceived changes over time.</p>\u0000 </section>\u0000 </div>","PeriodicalId":47362,"journal":{"name":"Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health","volume":"36 4","pages":"179-187"},"PeriodicalIF":1.9,"publicationDate":"2026-08-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1002/cbm.70045","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"148550902","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":4,"RegionCategory":"医学","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}