Mental health services in restricted housing: Do we know what's going on behind the steel doors?

The use of administrative segregation (AS) in North American prisons remains a common but contentious practice that is currently at the forefront of human rights and legal discussions. While extant research is mixed regarding the direct links between segregation and psychological functioning, it is clear these individuals are worse off in many ways. Mental and behavioral health interventions appear especially limited for people incarcerated in secure units, yet little is known about the extent of services offered or existing barriers to service provision. Using a standardized survey, we attempted to obtain a nationally representative sampling of mental health practices for people incarcerated in segregation and frontline provider perspectives across 24 state prisons. Survey results suggest that, while most facilities offer some form of mental health services to clients in restrictive units, most do not provide structured, manualized interventions. An even smaller number provide interventions specifically tailored to this unique population. Perceptions of service delivery barriers fell into four categories: (a) the nature of the restrictive environment, (b) lack of available programs, (c) staff-related concerns, and (d) client/inmate-related concerns. We conclude with recommendations to improve program accessibility and delivery on segregated units. Focused intervention efforts may reduce the number and duration of restricted placements. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved).

Atypical jobs in psychology: Interview of Dr. Ellen Scrivner.

This publication highlights the career of Dr. Ellen Scrivner, a past president of American Psychological Association's (APA's) Division 18 and a pioneer in the specialty of police and public safety psychology. While psychologists' work with police and public safety may be typical now, Dr. Scrivner's journey and work were atypical when she embarked on her academic studies and began her career. Although initially intrigued by the science of changing behavior, she became more interested in changing the behaviors of organizations throughout her time as a psychology major in undergraduate studies. Dr. Scrivner followed this passion through her graduate studies and into her career. As a professional working with police in public safety, having a background in psychology has allowed Dr. Scrivner to better assist organizations in transitioning or creating different, coherent, and more effective patterns or practices. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Treating women incarcerated in or at-risk of restrictive placements: A statement of the problem and considerations for practice.

Although limited, extant research suggests that incarcerated women are more likely than men to be placed in restrictive housing (e.g., administrative or disciplinary segregation) for disruptive behaviors that are linked to psychiatric symptomology and interpersonal deficits. Yet, few scholarly works discuss specific interventions or recommendations for treating incarcerated women in or at-risk of segregation. In this paper, we address the extent to which criminogenic and mental health needs of incarcerated women likely apply to women often placed in segregation, offer considerations for treatment planning when working with this subpopulation, and describe the process of piloting a manualized program specifically developed for segregated clients with women in a state prison. Descriptive data on 18 program participants are reported. Among program completers (n = 10), reductions in emotional stability, wellness, and criminal attitudes were endorsed from pre- to post-treatments and all women were rule-violation free at 3-month follow-up. Although preliminary outcomes are promising, controlled treatment outcome research is needed. We conclude with a call to advocate for the humane treatment and management of women who are in or prone to restrictive housing. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Voluntary exercise attenuates nociceptive abnormalities with no significant alterations of social interaction deficits in the BTBR mouse model of autism.

Due to the financial burden and undesired side effects of treatment options, researchers have begun exploring alternative methods of treating autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Based on research suggesting impressive health benefits of engaging in physical activity, exercise treatment to alleviate symptoms could be a more cost effective alternative to pharmaceutical interventions. This study examined the effects of physical exercise on nociceptive responses and social interactions in an autism mouse model (BTBR T+ Itpr3tf/J). Subjects (n = 32) were separated into groups (BTBR vs B6 controls) based on the genetic strain and activity condition they were assigned. When compared to B6 controls, the BTBR mice demonstrated thermal hypoalgesia that normalized following 5 weeks of voluntary wheel running. However, exercise did not significantly attenuate social interaction deficits in BTBR mice, despite scores trending toward a positive direction. These results suggest that exercise could serve as a potential additive to other therapies for abnormal nociception in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder.