Entrepreneurship and Criminal Justice Populations: A Social Cognitive Perspective.

A criminal record limits employment opportunities of those released from prison. Entrepreneurship, or starting one's own business venture, has been suggested as a way to overcome the employment barriers of a criminal record, given that many justice-involved persons have entrepreneurship experiences, often through illegal ventures. Sparse research has investigated how legal or illegal business experience translates to legal entrepreneurship attitudes. Using social cognitive career theory-career theory (SCCT), and concepts from the Risk Need Responsivity (RNR) model, the role of illegal and legal business exposure were investigated. Findings indicated that both legal and illegal business exposure had a positive influence on entrepreneurship goals through entrepreneurship self-efficacy and entrepreneurship outcome expectations. Legal experiences had a stronger influence. Criminal thinking, a significant risk factor for return to criminal behavior, was investigated in its role in entrepreneurship attitudes. Findings indicated that criminal thinking had an indirect effect on entrepreneurship goals through entrepreneurship self-efficacy.

Telehealth among substance using justice-involved persons on community supervision: Benefits, challenges, and suggestions for future use.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to understand the uses of telehealth with justice-involved adults under community supervision with substance use problems, including their experiences during the pandemic. METHODS: Structured interviews were administered among 17 justice-involved adults under community supervision about their experiences with telehealth services to treat substance use disorders. Thematic coding was used for the analysis. RESULTS: We identified 5 primary themes: (1) knowledge about and experiences with telehealth services during the pandemic; (2) telehealth services available; (3) service changes during the pandemic; and (4) individual motivations around treatment-seeking behavior. CONCLUSION: Overall, our findings reveal that many individuals on probation or parole appreciate having access to telehealth and found that modality convenient for counseling services. Findings shed light on participants' understanding of telehealth, their experiences in using the modality, and how this modality may serve their needs in other ways. External and internal barriers to accessing telehealth are also discussed.

Psychological services to extend public health and disease management approaches in criminal justice settings: An introduction.

COVID-19 has brought renewed attention to the physical and mental health needs of underserved populations and the settings that assist them in receiving services. This introduction presents six articles of a special section on disease management approaches used within criminal justice settings to address such needs. Articles span a range of settings, including prisons, jails, mental health courts, forensic settings, and crisis units. Collectively, the articles in this special section discuss medical conditions, substance use, and mental health. They provide information on the diverse approaches taken across various settings in managing the physical and mental health challenges of those involved in the criminal justice system. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Pilot study of career mentoring program for juveniles.

This article describes an innovative career-mentoring program for court-ordered juveniles that targets risk factors of recidivism and incorporates elements of effective career intervention. Youth were randomly assigned to a mentoring group or a treatment-as-usual (TAU) group. The mentoring group received nine sessions of a structured career-mentoring program from students at a university. The TAU group received other programs provided by the court. Results at posttest indicated that the mentoring group exhibited more pro-social motivations for work, more realistic attitudes toward work, and more professional job interests than the TAU group. Persons in the mentoring group enjoyed their mentoring experience with their university student mentors. Results have implications for cost-effective programs for court-ordered youth at a crucial time in their development. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Willingness to work among males on parole: A quantitative and qualitative analysis.

This study investigated employment attitudes of adult males who were recently released from prison and onto parole. The study investigated the role of willingness to work entry-level jobs, an understudied variable in career development of justice-involved persons. We hypothesized that criminal thinking and perception of barriers would each have a direct effect on job search self-efficacy and a direct and indirect effect on willingness to work entry-level jobs, through job search self-efficacy. We also predicted that criminal thinking and perception of barriers would each have an indirect effect on career aspirations within a job, through job search self-efficacy and willingness to work entry-level jobs. Results confirmed these hypotheses. Results of two serial mediation analyses indicated that perceiving more barriers to work predicted less job search self-efficacy, less job search self-efficacy predicted less willingness to work entry-level jobs, and less willingness to work entry-level jobs predicted lower career aspirations. Similarly, higher reactive criminal thinking predicted less job search self-efficacy, less job search self-efficacy predicted less willingness to work entry-level jobs, and less willingness to work entry-level jobs predicted lower career aspirations. Results of qualitative analysis indicated that the vast majority of parolees planned to work in entry-level jobs within the first few months of release from prison. The study sheds light on the work attitudes of males who leave prison and what factors may influence their willingness to work entry-level jobs. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Clinicians with lived experience of mental illness: Introduction to a special section on prosumers, in honor of the late Dr. Fredrick J. Frese III.

This article is an introduction to a special section on mental health clinicians with a personal lived experience of mental illness (aka 'prosumers') dedicated to the late Dr. Frederick J. Frese III. This introduction provides information on Dr. Frese who was a prosumer and advocate for those with a mental illness. This introduction also provides information on each of the 15 articles in this special section. The section has both empirical articles and personal narratives. It is our desire that the articles will be informative and inspire readers to combat the stigma associated with mental illness. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Employment Perceptions of Parolees: The Role of Perceived Barriers and Criminal Thinking.

This study explored offenders' perception of their barriers to employment and investigated the role of criminal attitudes in parolees recently released from prison. An analysis of open-ended responses from offenders indicated that they perceived having a criminal record as the largest barrier to employment. Structural equation modeling, utilizing a cross-sectional design, indicated moderate support for a model of criminal thinking as a predictor of perceived barriers and of self-efficacy. Survey results also found that criminal attitudes have a positive direct relationship with perception of barriers in work and education, with perception of barriers increasing as criminal thinking increases. Furthermore, criminal thinking has a negative direct relationship with job search self-efficacy, with job search self-efficacy decreasing as criminal thinking increases. Criminal thinking also had an indirect relationship with career aspirations through job search self-efficacy. Findings have implications for vocational programming for parolees.

Clinical apps and public service settings: Innovations, diverse applications, and limits.

Smartphone applications are rapidly increasing. Their range of uses is also expanding. "Clinical apps," those used with psychological and behavioral problems, are also growing. The research literature on clinical apps has not kept pace with innovation. There is a need to understand the current state of clinical apps, particularly their relevance for public service settings. This article introduces the special issue regarding clinical apps for use in public service (and other) settings. Each of the 15 articles in this special issue, which covers topics including apps reviews, empirical data on test equivalence, culture and ethics challenges, and apps for specific clinical problems such as hazardous drinking and autism spectrum disorders, are described. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Division 18 presidential address: The future of public service psychology.

This article provides the results of a survey completed by members of Division 18 regarding their perceptions of the division's values, as well as the greatest asset in being a member and their view of the future of psychologists in the public sector. Results indicated that members perceive Division 18 as a home for professional interests, with a commitment to providing public service and treatment. Members noted that they valued several things, including networking with colleagues as well as information that the division provided. As Division 18 continues to develop, members would like to see even more communication and connection with each other. Furthermore, members perceive the future of psychologists in the public sector as including more emphasis on professional specialization (e.g., health psychology and integrated care) and evidence-based practices and less emphasis on traditional therapy. By documenting the division's past as well and presenting voices of more current Division 18 members, this article can be helpful to future leaders and division members to guide the development of the division and influence public service psychology. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

Mobile app interventions for military and veteran families: Before, during, and after deployment.

Deployment to foreign wars leads to many challenges for military families. Unique risk factors for behavioral and psychological problems have been identified before, during, and after the deployment of a loved one. This brief report outlines these challenges and risk factors at each stage of the deployment process and describes mobile applications that may be beneficial in addressing them. The mobile applications, Babies on the Homefront, The Big Moving Adventure, and Sandboxx, were identified as relevant for addressing the parenting, communication, and relocation difficulties experienced by military families before and during the deployment process. Parenting 2GO, PTSD Coach, and PTSD Family Coach were identified as being relevant for addressing the difficulties with the reintegration of service members into the family unit. The potential for the clinical use of these apps are considered and discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

The Offender Job Search Self-Efficacy Scale: Development and initial validation.

The purpose of this study was to develop the Offender Job Search Self-Efficacy Scale (OFJSSE) for the specific job search needs of the criminal justice population. Participants were 249 male inmates within 2 years of release from a state correctional facility in the southern region of the United States who identified mostly as Caucasian (56.2%), single (62.2%), working-class (45.4%) men with a mean age of 36.27 years (SD = 10.38). Initial validation data are described, including results of an exploratory factor analysis. Results indicated that the OFJSSE presents excellent reliability (α = .95) as well as good convergent and discriminant validity by having a strong, positive correlation, r = .73, p < .01, with another job search scale and having a negative correlation, r = -.19, p = .01, with a scale measuring a different construct (i.e., criminal thinking). Implications of the findings as well as limitations and future directions are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2018 APA, all rights reserved).

Temporal discounting and criminal thinking: understanding cognitive processes to align services.

Temporal discounting is an indicator of impulsivity that has consistently been found to be associated with risky behaviors such as substance abuse and compulsive gambling. Yet, although criminal acts are clearly risky choice behaviors, no study has examined temporal discounting in the criminal attitudes and behaviors of adult offenders. Yet, such investigations have potential to understand the cognitive processes that underlie various criminal patterns of thinking and may help distinguish between high and low risk offenders. Therefore, the current study endeavored to fill this gap in the literature using 146 male inmates within 5 months of release. Results found that temporal discounting is correlated with reactive criminal thinking but was not correlated with proactive criminal thinking. In addition, inmates with higher rates of incarceration were also more likely to have higher rates of temporal discounting. Results shed light on the different cognitive processes that may underlie different styles of criminal thinking as well as potential differences in the discounting rates depending on history of incarcerations. This finding has implications for service delivery in criminal justice settings as those with reactive criminal thinking may benefit from specialized treatments for temporal discounting.

Attitudes toward hiring offenders: the roles of criminal history, job qualifications, and race.

Occupational functioning is an important factor in the success of offenders reentering society. Yet few studies have empirically examined the factors influencing job obtainment of offenders. This study endeavors to begin to fill this gap by examining attitudes in hiring applicants charged with a crime. To accomplish this goal, 275 college students read a job description for a cashier position and then read 1 of 12 descriptions of an applicant varied by criminal history, qualifications, and race. Participants rate the applicants across dimensions relevant to hiring decisions. Results indicate that applicants with drug possession charges and low qualifications were less likely to be referred for hire. Severity of charges influences employability. Among applicants with a misdemeanor, qualifications increase employability, but qualifications have no influence for applicants with a felony. Implications of these findings for policy and vocational rehabilitation programming are discussed.

Association of depression with medical illness: does cortisol play a role?

Elevated cortisol in a subset of depressed patients is an enduring and well-replicated finding. Much interest has focused on the possible effects of depression on the hippocampus; however, an emerging body of evidence suggests an association between depression and non-central nervous system illnesses. In this review, data on the effects of depression on the brain and other organ systems sensitive to elevated cortisol are discussed. From searches of the MEDLINE, PSYCHINFO, and Current Contents databases, and other sources, articles were found specifically related to depression and physical changes or medical conditions associated with corticosteroid excess in patients with Cushing's disease, including cognitive impairment, hippocampal atrophy, increased waist-to-hip ratio, bone loss, hypertension, diabetes, peptic ulcers, and hyperlipidemia. Data are strongest for a relationship between elevated cortisol and depression, hippocampal atrophy, cognitive impairment, abdominal obesity, and loss of bone density. Some evidence suggests an association between depression and hypertension, peptic ulcers, and diabetes. Depression does not appear to be associated with hyperlipidemia. The data provide some support for similar health effects in depressed patients and patients with Cushing's disease or the metabolic syndrome; however, additional studies are needed relating systemic effects of depression to cortisol. Limitations of the current literature, treatment implications, and possible directions for future research are discussed.

The Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis in Major Depressive Disorder: A Brief Primer for Primary Care Physicians.

BACKGROUND: One of the most enduring and replicated findings in biological psychiatry is activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis in a subset of patients with major depressive disorder. This review will discuss some of these findings and their pertinence to the assessment and treatment of depressed patients. METHOD: MEDLINE, PsychINFO, and Current Contents databases were searched for pertinent articles on the HPA axis in patients with depression. In addition, hand searches were conducted of references from these sources and abstracts from meetings and books on this topic. Articles that would provide an overview of major or interesting studies in the field were selected for inclusion. RESULTS: The data support that HPA axis activation is common in depressed patients. Frequently reported findings include elevated cortisol and corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), nonsuppression on the dexamethasone suppression test, a blunted adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) response to CRH, and hippocampal volume reduction. Evidence of HPA axis activation appears to have prognostic value and is associated with increased risk of depression relapse and even suicide. CONCLUSION: Future research in this area will focus on a better understanding of the etiology and long-term consequences of HPA axis activation in depressed patients. In addition, medications that act on the HPA axis are currently in development and may be part of the psychiatrist's and primary care physician's pharmacopoeia in the near future.