Intermediate care programs to reduce risk and better manage inmates with psychiatric disorders.

Intermediate Care Programs were jointly established by the New York State Office of Mental Health and Department of Correctional Services to reduce risk and better manage inmates with psychiatric disorders. In an earlier study, we collected data from the mental health and corrections records of 209 inmates who were admitted to Intermediate Care Programs. Our analysis of those data showed there were significant reductions in the mean number of serious problem behaviors, correctional restrictions, and mental health crisis services during the six months before and after admission. In the present study, we used Wilcoxon tests to assess changes in the distribution of scores on variables assessed by the earlier study. The Wilcoxon tests showed there were significant changes in the distribution of scores on most of the variables. We then focused on inmates who scored positive on the respective variables, either before admission or after admission, and determined the percentage who improved, stayed the same, or worsened on those variables. The highest reductions occurred in mental health observations (65%), suicide attempts (63%), and emergency medications (43%). Lower reductions occurred in correctional infractions and restrictions (26% to 31%). Overall, the data from this study and our earlier one suggest that Intermediate Care Programs are effective in reducing risk and managing inmates with psychiatric disorders.

Gerontological research in psychology published in the Journal of Gerontology 1963-1974: Perspectives and progress.

Psychological research on human subjects published in the Journal of Gerontology from 1963 through 1974 was summarized along a variety of dimensions, including subject selection procedures, sample characteristics, data analysis techniques, research design, author characteristics, and area of psychological research. Comparison of 1963-1968 with 1969-1974 showed a dramatic increase in the number of studies analyzing data for sex differences and a lessened concern for the health status of subjects. Studies of intellectual/cognitive functioning clearly dominated, while those measuring a physiological variable increased the most over the 12-year span. Discussion focused on variations among studies on definitions of age, concerns with sample description with respect to health, and sex differences.