Browsing by Author "Lawson, Spencer G."

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    Correlates of suicide risk among Black and White adults with behavioral health disorders in criminal-legal systems
    (Springer Nature, 2022-03-04) Lawson, Spencer G.; Lowder, Evan M.; Ray, Bradley; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Background: Adults with behavioral health disorders in criminal-legal systems are at heightened risk of suicide relative to the general population. Despite documented racial disparities in criminal processing and behavioral health treatment, few studies have examined racial differences in suicide risk in this already high-risk population. This study examined 1) the correlates of suicide risk in this population overall and by race and 2) the moderating role of race in these associations. Methods: We investigated correlates of clinician-rated suicide risk at baseline in a statewide sample of 2,827 Black and 14,022 White adults with criminal-legal involvement who engaged in community-based behavioral health treatment. Regression-based approaches were used to model suicide risk and test for evidence of interaction effects. Results: Findings showed the strongest correlates of suicide risk were greater behavioral health needs, evidence of self-harm, and a primary mental health diagnosis or co-occurring diagnosis. In race-specific analyses, correlates of suicide risk were mostly similar for both Black and White clients, with a couple exceptions. Interaction terms testing between-group effects on correlates of suicide risk were non-significant. Conclusions: Adults with behavioral health disorders in criminal-legal systems experience similar risk factors for suicide as the general population. Similar to prior research, we found that Black adults, in particular, are at lower risk for suicide overall. Contrary to expectations, we found similarities in correlates of suicide risk across race in our sample of felony-level adults with behavioral health disorders in the criminal-legal system. Prior research shows that behavioral health professionals should be cognizant of cultural factors when developing a comprehensive approach to suicide care and treatment. Our findings show correlates of suicide risk are largely stable in Black and White adults involved in criminal-legal systems, suggesting culturally responsive treatment for suicide risk should target shared risk factors.
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    Developing a Culturally Proficient Intervention for Young African American Men in Drug Court: Examining Feasibility and Estimating an Effect Size for Habilitation Empowerment Accountability Therapy (HEAT)
    (2018) Marlowe, Douglas B.; Shannon, Lisa M.; Ray, Bradley; Turpin, Darryl P.; Wheeler, Guy A.; Newell, Jennifer; Lawson, Spencer G.
    African American males between 18 and 29 years of age are substantially less likely than many other participants to graduate successfully from drug court. Unsuccessful termination from drug court can have serious repercussions for these young men, including possible incarceration and negative collateral consequences associated with having a criminal record. This article reports preliminary results from two pilot studies that examined the feasibility of implementing a culturally proficient intervention for young African American men in drug court, and estimated an effect size for the intervention in improving treatment retention and reducing termination rates. Results confirmed that participants with serious criminal and substance use histories were willing and able to complete the lengthy 9-month curriculum, were satisfied with the intervention, and graduated from drug court at substantially higher rates than are commonly observed in this at-risk population. A sufficient basis has been established to justify the effort and expense of examining this intervention — Habilitation Empowerment Accountability Therapy (HEAT) — in fully powered randomized controlled trials.
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    Does Reentry Court Completion Affect Recidivism Three Years after Exit? Results from a Retrospective Cohort Study
    (Taylor & Francis, 2021-08) Lawson, Spencer G.; Grommon, Eric; Ray, Bradley; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Reentry courts are a strategy to assist individuals subjected to post-release supervision in the reintegration process, but there is limited evidence on the effectiveness of these practices. The current study presents the results of a retrospective cohort study for a sample of 340 participants who exited a reentry court. Specifically, survival analyses were employed to evaluate whether participants’ reentry court completion status affects their likelihood of and timing to recidivism events three years after exiting the program. The results revealed that successful program completion continues to shape recidivism outcomes up to three years after reentry court exit.
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    Five-County Validation of the Indiana Risk Assessment System – Pretrial Assessment Tool (IRAS-PAT) using a Local Validation Approach
    (Taylor & Francis, 2020) Lowder, Evan M.; Lawson, Spencer G.; Grommon, Eric; Ray, Brad R.; School of Public and Environmental Affairs
    Local jurisdictions are increasingly using pretrial risk assessment instruments to assess risk of pretrial misconduct and inform release decisions. We adopted a local validation approach to examine the predictive validity of Indiana Risk Assessment System – Pretrial Assessment Tool (IRAS-PAT) assessments in 3,739 unique pretrial defendants across five Indiana counties. Jail, court, and pretrial risk assessment records were matched within each jurisdiction to examine pretrial misconduct outcomes (i.e., any arrest, any new arrest, and any failure to appear) during the case processing period. Area Under the Curve (AUC) estimates showed good-to-excellent levels of predictive accuracy for total scores for all outcomes (AUC Range: 0.67-0.72). Multivariable models showed defendants assessed at High (OR Range: 5.42-8.62) and Moderate (OR Range: 2.56-3.08) risk had higher rates of pretrial misconduct relative to those assessed at Low risk. Findings provide strong evidence for the predictive accuracy of IRAS-PAT assessments overall, though some item-level considerations are noted.