Are Borderline Personality Disorder Features Differentially Related to Pre-Incarceration Alcohol, Cannabis, Cocaine, and Opioid Dependence Among People Recently Incarcerated in Jail?

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and substance use disorders (SUDs) commonly co-occur across various settings. However, little research has examined how BPD features relate to specific types of SUDs. This study examined whether BPD features assessed shortly after incarceration were differentially related to symptoms of dependence on alcohol, cannabis, cocaine, and opioids experienced in the 12 months prior to incarceration among 510 people recently incarcerated in jail. Follow-up multigroup analyses evaluated whether gender or race moderated the relation of BPD features to the four SUDs. Using structural equational modeling, the relationships of BPD features were compared to each of the four preincarceration dependence symptoms. BPD features were significantly related to dependence on each of the four substances, but the link between BPD features and cocaine dependence was stronger than BPD's association with alcohol, cannabis, or opioid dependence. These findings generalized across men and women and across White and Black people.

The implications of borderline personality features for jail inmates' institutional misconduct and treatment-seeking.

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is common in jails and prisons. In a sample of 506 jail inmates (30% female), we examined whether BPD symptoms assessed upon incarceration predict subsequent institutional misconduct and treatment-seeking. BPD features modestly predicted occurrence (vs. nonoccurrence) of institutional misconduct. Importantly, BPD did not predict the number of institutional misconduct incidents. That is, BPD was not associated with frequent, repeated difficulties in institutional adjustment. Consistent with previous research showing a relationship between BPD and past treatment-seeking in clinical and community samples, jail inmates' BPD features significantly predicted subsequent requests for treatment. Regarding specific types of treatment, the relationship held for substance abuse programs and forensic mental health services but not for psychoeducational services or support groups. There were very few moderators of the link between BPD and subsequent institutional misconduct and treatment-seeking. Most of the observed relationships held across sex, race, and age. Findings of the study indicate that jail staff and clinicians must learn to distinguish between initial adjustment problems and frequent misconduct among inmates high in BPD to facilitate their adjustment. The study further highlights the need for BPD-relevant treatments and services in jails. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Changes in Jail Inmates' Community Connectedness across the Period of Incarceration.

Jails bring inmates into proximity with one another and separate them from the community. Because inmates' connectedness to one another and to the community influences post-release functioning, understanding risk factors for maladaptive shifts in connectedness may inform interventions. The current study examined changes in jail inmates' (N=203) connectedness to the community at large and to the criminal community, and predictors of individual differences in changes over time. Connectedness to both communities did not change on average during incarceration, but younger and less guilt-prone inmates increased more in connectedness to the criminal community than older and more guilt-prone inmates, suggesting connectedness interventions should target individuals exhibiting this constellation of attributes.

The comparability of the visual and verbal versions of the Inclusion of Community in Self scale.

AIMS: Many factors affect the utility and practicality of measures in longitudinal studies characterized by transient participants such as those caught in the cycle of incarceration. The current study evaluated the psychometric equivalency of a visual and a verbal version of a single-item connectedness measure; the aim was to determine whether the different formats can be used interchangeably depending on feasibility. METHODS: Participants were 133 jail inmates (49% male; 43% Black; Mage = 35 years, SD = 10 years) interviewed just before release from jail. RESULTS: Results provide evidence for the concurrent, convergent, and discriminant validity of the two ICS versions. Attempts to calibrate the verbal measure to the visual measure were moderately successful. CONCLUSION: Taken together, results suggest the two formats are comparable, but not interchangeable; they map on to other variables in similar ways but cannot be used in lieu of one another.

Behind bars but connected to family: Evidence for the benefits of family contact during incarceration.

Incarceration separates individuals from their families and communities, strictly limiting and controlling contact with the outside world. Despite these barriers, those who maintain contact with their families during incarceration tend to function more adaptively postrelease. Within a longitudinal framework, the current study examines mechanisms (i.e., family connectedness, postrelease planning) by which contact with family during incarceration may impact postrelease functioning (i.e., recidivism, substance misuse, mental illness, community functioning), considering differences between type of contact (visits, phone calls, letters) and whether it occurred in a jail or prison setting. Participants included 507 adults incarcerated in a local jail (Mage = 32 years, SD = 10 years; 70% male; 44.3% Black, 36.4% White; 59.5% parents). Structural equation modeling results demonstrated having more frequent contact with family during incarceration predicts increases in family connectedness, which in turn predicts better mental health during the first-year postrelease. Although not related to frequency of contact, making plans for postrelease predicted adaptive community functioning during the first-year postrelease. There were no differences in the overall model based on type of contact or incarceration in a jail versus prison setting. These findings suggest maintaining contact with family during incarceration can facilitate more psychologically healthy adjustment during the stressful process of reentering society. Furthermore, incarcerated individuals should be encouraged to make plans for postrelease while still incarcerated either independently or in collaboration with family. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Are Borderline Personality Symptoms and Psychopathy Differentially Related to Drinking Motives of Former Jail Inmates?

This study assessed whether psychopathy and borderline personality disorder (BPD) symptoms are differentially related to three drinking motives: coping, enhancement, and social. Participants were 170 inmates (74% male) initially held on felony charges in a suburban jail. The Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV; Hart, Cox, & Hare, 1995) and Borderline Features scale of the Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI; Morey, 1991) were administered at the outset of incarceration. In a follow-up interview 4 to 6 years postincarceration, participants completed the Drinking Motives Questionnaire (DMQ; Cooper, Russell, Skinner, & Windle, 1992) assessing drinking motives. Controlling for drinking frequency, when compared to Factor 1 psychopathy, BPD symptoms had a stronger positive relationship with coping and enhancement drinking motives. No difference was observed for social motives for drinking. Individuals high in BPD symptoms may benefit from therapy emphasizing adaptive coping mechanisms and alternative means of seeking positive emotional states.

Changes in Community Integration From Pre- to Post-incarceration: The Influence of Psychological and Criminal Justice Factors.

Research on changes in community integration from pre- to postincarceration has primarily focused on employment and is mixed, showing both deterioration and improvement. Research is needed to examine change in other areas, as well as predictive individual-level factors. We assessed changes in jail inmates' (n = 334) employment, source of income, residential stability, marital status, and volunteerism from pre- to post-incarceration, and analyzed individual-level predictors of change. On average, more inmates improved than deteriorated in community integration, with education and low criminal thinking predicting the greatest improvement. Across multiple areas, inmates' community integration does not appear to deteriorate from pre- to post-incarceration. Apparent improvements may reflect that people become incarcerated during times of crisis, regressing to baseline by 1 year postrelease.

Do Demographic Factors Moderate How Well Criminal Thinking Predicts Recidivism?

Is the relationship between criminal thinking and recidivism the same for criminal justice-involved individuals from varying demographic backgrounds? Relying on two independent samples of offenders and two measures of criminal thinking, the current studies examined whether four demographic factors-gender, race, age, and education-moderated the relationship between criminal thinking and recidivism. Study 1 consisted of 226 drug-involved probationers enrolled in a randomized clinical trial. Study 2 consisted of 346 jail inmates from a longitudinal study. Logistic regression models suggested that the strength of the relationship between criminal thinking and subsequent recidivism did not vary based on participant demographics, regardless of justice system setting or measure of criminal thinking. Criminal thinking predicts recidivism similarly for people who are male, female, Black, White, older, younger, and more or less educated.

A Pilot RCT of a Values-Based Mindfulness Group Intervention with Jail Inmates: Evidence for Reduction in Post-Release Risk Behavior.

This study pilot-tested a values and mindfulness-based intervention (Re-Entry Values and Mindfulness Program: REVAMP) in a sample of male jail inmates. REVAMP aimed to reduce post-release risky behavior by targeting dimensions of mindfulness (e.g., willingness/acceptance) and associated proximal outcomes/mechanisms of action (emotion regulation, self-control, shame/guilt). Inmates were randomly assigned to REVAMP (n=21) or treatment as usual (TAU, n=19). Attendance and feedback supported REVAMP's feasibility and acceptability. At post-treatment, ANCOVAs showed that the REVAMP group increased more on willingness/acceptance, self-judgment and shame relative to TAU. Relative increases in willingness/acceptance persisted at 3-month post-release. Criminal activity was assessed by self-report at three months post-release and official criminal records at three years post-release. At both time-points, there was a marginally statistically significant trend of medium effect size for lower criminal recidivism in the REVAMP group compared to TAU. There were no statistically significant differences in self-reported post-release substance misuse. This pilot RCT indicated mindfulness-based interventions may hold promise for reducing inmates' post-release risky behavior and encourages future research in this area.

Is There a Dark Side to Mindfulness? Relation of Mindfulness to Criminogenic Cognitions.

In recent years, mindfulness-based interventions have been modified for use with inmate populations, but how this might relate to specific criminogenic cognitions has not been examined empirically. Theoretically, characteristics of mindfulness should be incompatible with distorted patterns of criminal thinking, but is this in fact the case? Among both 259 male jail inmates and 516 undergraduates, mindfulness was inversely related to the Criminogenic Cognitions Scale (CCS) through a latent variable of emotion regulation. However, in the jail sample, this mediational model also showed a direct, positive path from mindfulness to CCS, with an analogous, but nonsignificant trend in the college sample. Post hoc analyses indicate that the Nonjudgment of Self scale derived from the Mindfulness Inventory: Nine Dimensions (MI:ND) largely accounts for this apparently iatrogenic effect in both samples. Some degree of self-judgment is perhaps necessary and useful, especially among individuals involved in the criminal justice system.

Does psychopathy differentially predict treatment-seeking during incarceration versus postrelease?

The notion that high psychopathy inmates seek treatment for non-therapeutic reasons is frequently assumed but lacking empirical evidence. In a sample of 217 suburban jail inmates, we examined whether psychopathy differentially predicted treatment-seeking during incarceration (when extrinsic benefits exist), but not post-release. Overall, analyses revealed no evidence to support this notion. High psychopathy offenders did not artificially seek treatment at a higher rate than their less psychopathic peers during or following incarceration. Further, there was no evidence psychopathy was associated with treatment-seeking for present-oriented reasons (e.g., to reduce their sentence) during incarceration. Inmates high in psychopathy, particularly Factor 1, were more likely to request access to the jail law library than their lower-psychopathy peers. Taken together, these findings challenge common assumptions regarding psychopathic offenders' treatment-seeking behaviors and motivations. Clinicians can anticipate that inmates seeking treatment will represent the full range of psychopathy, both during incarceration and upon rejoining the community.

The Self-Stigma Process in Criminal Offenders.

Upon conviction, individuals receive the stigmatizing label "criminal offender." Existing stereotypes about criminal offenders may be integrated into the self-concept, a phenomenon known as self-stigma. In many stigmatized groups, self-stigma is a robust predictor of poor functioning (Livingston & Boyd, 2010; Schomerus et al., 2011). However, little is known about how self-stigma occurs (Corrigan et al., 2006), and there has been limited research with criminal offenders. This study examines a theoretical model of self-stigma in which perceived stigma leads to stereotype agreement, internalized stigma, and then to anticipated stigma. A sample of 203 male jail inmates completed assessments of these constructs just prior to release. Results show a significant indirect path from perceived stigma to stereotype agreement to internalized stigma, but not to anticipated stigma. However, perceived stigma was directly related to anticipated stigma. In conclusion, perceived stigma affects the self through two processes: it indirectly leads to internalized stigma through one avenue, and directly leads to anticipated stigma through a separate avenue. Race, criminal identity, and attitudes toward criminals were examined as moderators.

Connectedness to the criminal community and the community at large predicts 1-year post-release outcomes among felony offenders.

Connectedness to one's community relates to positive psychological and behavioral outcomes. But what implications do connectedness to distinct communities-the criminal community and the community at large-have for inmates about to be released from jail? This study (N = 383) prospectively examined connectedness to the criminal community and community at large prior to release from jail, and functioning at one-year post-release. Connectedness to the community at large positively predicted community adjustment whereas connectedness to the criminal community positively predicted recidivism. Targeting both types of community connectedness may enhance interventions intended to undermine recidivism and increase positive outcomes for inmates.

Changes in Inmates' Substance Use and Dependence From Pre-Incarceration to One Year Post-Release.

PURPOSE: To assess changes in inmates' misuse of substances from pre- to post-incarceration. METHODS: In Study 1, professionals (n = 162) and laypersons (n = 50) predicted how jail inmates' substance misuse would change from pre-incarceration to post-release. In Study 2, a longitudinal study of 305 jail inmates, we examined actual changes in substance use and dependence from pre-incarceration to the first year post-incarceration, as well as whether changes varied as a function of demographic, criminal justice, treatment, and personality factors. RESULTS: Professionals and laypersons predicted little change in substance misuse whereas, in fact, inmates' frequency of substance use and dependence decreased substantially from pre-incarceration to post-release. Sharper decreases were observed for inmates who were female, younger, more educated, serving longer sentences, enrolled in substance abuse treatment, high in shame-proneness, and low in criminogenic thinking. Race, first time incarceration, transfer to other correctional facilities, mandated community supervision (probation), and guilt-proneness did not predict changes in substance use or dependence. CONCLUSIONS: Although substance misuse decreased, this remains a population high in need of substance abuse treatment both upon arrest and at one year post-incarceration; 60% of former inmates met at least one DSM-IV criterion for substance dependence at one year post-release.

Feasibility and Acceptability of an Impact of Crime Group Intervention with Jail Inmates.

The current study evaluated the feasibility and acceptability of a manualized Impact of Crime (IOC) group intervention implemented with male inmates (N = 108) at a county jail. Facilitator adherence to the intervention and participant attendance, homework completion, and feedback were assessed. On average facilitators covered 93.7% of each manual topic. Victim speaker recruitment was a challenge-43.5% of relevant sessions lacked victim speakers. Findings suggested significant participant engagement-67.3% attended at least 75% of sessions and 93.3% of homework assignments were submitted on time. Overall, participants indicated satisfaction with the intervention. Successful strategies, challenges, and potential enhancements are discussed.

THE EFFECT OF STIGMA ON CRIMINAL OFFENDERS' FUNCTIONING: A LONGITUDINAL MEDIATIONAL MODEL.

Research has rarely considered criminal offenders' psychological responses to stigma, but these responses may significantly influence behavior after release from jail/prison. Jail inmates' perceived and anticipated stigma was assessed prior to release from jail/prison (N = 163), and outcomes were assessed one year post-release (N = 371). We hypothesized that perceived stigma would predict poor adjustment in several domains (i.e. recidivism, substance dependence, mental health symptoms, community adjustment) through anticipated stigma. Results showed that perceived stigma predicted worse community adjustment through anticipated stigma, and this varied by race. Results are explored from an interdisciplinary perspective.

Relation of borderline personality features to preincarceration HIV risk behaviors of jail inmates: Evidence for gender differences?

The present study explored the relationship between borderline personality disorder (BPD) features and preincarceration HIV risk behaviors in a sample of 499 (70% male) jail inmates, as well as gender differences in these associations. Elevated levels of BPD symptomatology were present among male and female participants, though there was considerable variance observed in participants' BPD symptoms and HIV risk behaviors. In the full sample, BPD features were positively associated with a variety of HIV risk behaviors, including injection drug use and frequency of unprotected sex with high risk partners and under high risk circumstances. Gender moderated only 2 relationships between BPD features and HIV risk behaviors, with a stronger association between BPD features and number of sexual partners, and BPD features and frequency of unprotected sex while under the influence of alcohol or drugs for women, relative to men. Taken together, these findings suggest that programs targeting HIV risk within correctional populations may benefit from considering the role of BPD features, particularly emotion regulation difficulties and impulsivity, in influencing HIV risk behaviors among both women and men.

Does substance misuse moderate the relationship between criminal thinking and recidivism?

PURPOSE: Some differential intervention frameworks contend that substance use is less robustly related to recidivism outcomes than other criminogenic needs such as criminal thinking. The current study tested the hypothesis that substance use disorder severity moderates the relationship between criminal thinking and recidivism. METHODS: The study utilized two independent criminal justice samples. Study 1 included 226 drug-involved probationers. Study 2 included 337 jail inmates with varying levels of substance use disorder severity. Logistic regression was employed to test the main and interactive effects of criminal thinking and substance use on multiple dichotomous indicators of recidivism. RESULTS: Bivariate analyses revealed a significant correlation between criminal thinking and recidivism in the jail sample (r = .18, p < .05) but no significant relationship in the probation sample. Logistic regressions revealed that SUD symptoms moderated the relationship between criminal thinking and recidivism in the jail-based sample (B = -.58, p < .05). A significant moderation effect was not observed in the probation sample. CONCLUSIONS: Study findings indicate that substance use disorder symptoms moderate the strength of the association between criminal thinking and recidivism. These findings demonstrate the need for further research into the interaction between various dynamic risk factors.

Children's proneness to shame and guilt predict risky and illegal behaviors in young adulthood.

Do shame and guilt help people avoid doing wrong? Although some research suggests that guilt-proneness is a protective factor while shame-proneness puts individuals at risk, most research is either cross-sectional or short-term. In this longitudinal study, 380 5th graders (ages 10-12) completed measures of proneness to shame and guilt. We re-interviewed 68 % of participants after they turned 18 years old (range 18-21). Guilt-proneness assessed in childhood predicted fewer sexual partners, less use of illegal drugs and alcohol, and less involvement with the criminal justice system. Shame-proneness, in contrast, was a risk factor for later deviant behavior. Shame-prone children were more likely to have unprotected sex and use illegal drugs in young adulthood. These results held when controlling for childhood SES and teachers' ratings of aggression. Children's moral emotional styles appear to be well established by at least middle childhood, with distinct downstream implications for risky behavior in early adulthood.

Can perspective-taking reduce crime? Examining a pathway through empathic-concern and guilt-proneness.

We describe and appraise a theoretical model in which individual differences in perspective-taking eventuate in crime reduction. Specifically, it is hypothesized that perspective-taking propensities influence the tendency to feel empathic-concern, thereby heightening proneness for guilt, which ultimately inhibits criminal behavior (perspective-taking → empathic-concern → guilt-proneness → crime desistance). Data from two sources were analyzed: (a) a cross-sectional college sample and (b) a longitudinal sample of jail inmates. Overall, results lend credence to this theoretical model: Perspective-taking propensities ultimately "put the brakes" on criminal behavior-via an emotional pathway of empathic-concern and then guilt-proneness. Discussion focuses on the nature of perspective-taking, its generative role for moral emotion and behavior, as well as potential applications for crime reduction.