Explore the vast range of titles available.

Objectives. To test the efficacy of a computerized, group-based HIV and intimate partner violence (IPV) intervention on reducing IPV victimization among substance-using women mandated to community corrections. Methods. Between November 2009 and January 2012, we randomly allocated 306 women from community corrections in New York City to 3 study arms of a computerized HIV and IPV prevention trial: (1) 4 group sessions intervention with computerized self-paced IPV prevention modules (Computerized Women on the Road to Health [WORTH]), (2) traditional HIV and IPV prevention intervention group covering the same HIV and IPV content as Computerized WORTH without computers (Traditional WORTH), and (3) a Wellness Promotion control group. Primary outcomes were physical, injurious, and sexual IPV victimization in the previous 6 months at 12-month follow-up. Results. Computerized WORTH participants reported significantly lower risk of physical IPV victimization, severe injurious IPV victimization, and severe sexual IPV victimization at 12-month follow-up when compared with control participants. No significant differences were seen between Traditional WORTH and control participants for any IPV outcomes. Conclusions. The efficacy of Computerized WORTH across multiple IPV outcomes highlights the promise of integrating computerized, self-paced IPV prevention modules in HIV prevention groups.

Imprisonment provides opportunities for the diagnosis and successful treatment of HIV, however, the benefits of antiretroviral therapy are frequently lost following release due to suboptimal access and utilization of health care and services. In response, some have advocated for development of intensive case-management interventions spanning incarceration and release to support treatment adherence and community re-entry for HIV-infected releasees. We conducted a randomized controlled trial of a motivational Strengths Model bridging case management intervention (BCM) beginning approximately 3 months prior to and continuing 6 months after release versus a standard of care prison-administered discharge planning program (SOC) for HIV-infected state prison inmates. The primary outcome variable was self-reported access to post-release medical care. Of the 104 inmates enrolled, 89 had at least 1 post-release study visit. Of these, 65.1% of BCM and 54.4% of SOC assigned participants attended a routine medical appointment within 4 weeks of release ( P  > 0.3). By week 12 post-release, 88.4% of the BCM arm and 78.3% of the SOC arm had at attended at least one medical appointment ( P  = 0.2), increasing in both arms at week 24–90.7% with BCM and 89.1% with SOC ( P  > 0.5). No participant without a routine medical visit by week 24 attended an appointment from weeks 24 to 48. The mean number of clinic visits during the 48 weeks post release was 5.23 (SD = 3.14) for BCM and 4.07 (SD = 3.20) for SOC ( P  > 0.5). There were no significant differences between arms in social service utilization and re-incarceration rates were also similar. We found that a case management intervention bridging incarceration and release was no more effective than a less intensive pre-release discharge planning program in supporting health and social service utilization for HIV-infected individuals released from prison.

This article presents findings from a multisite cluster randomized trial of a structured organizational change intervention for improving HIV testing services in jails and prisons. Matched pairs of prison and jail facilities were randomized to experimental and control conditions; all facilities received baseline training about best practices in HIV testing and other HIV services and selected an area of HIV services on which to focus improvement efforts. The experimental facilities formed local change teams and were provided external coaching based on the Network for the Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) process improvement model. Difference-indifference analyses indicate a significant relative increase in HIV testing in the experimental compared to the control condition. Meta-analyses across the matched pairs indicated a small to medium effect of increased testing overall. The results indicate that the local change team model can achieve significant increases in HIV testing in correctional facilities. Implications for HIV testing policies and challenges for expanding testing are discussed.

Although research indicates that organizational characteristics substantially influence the adoption and use of evidence-based practices (EBPs), there has been little empirical research on organizational factors most likely to influence successful implementation of EBPs, particularly in criminal justice settings. This study examined organizational characteristics related to the success of change teams in achieving improvements in assessment and case-planning procedures for persons leaving correctional settings and receiving community services. In this evaluation of the Organizational Process Improvement Intervention (OPII), part of the National Institute on Drug Abuse’s (NIDA’s) Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies (CJDATS) cooperative, 21 sites were randomized to an early-start or a delayed-start condition. For this analysis, data from both conditions were combined. Agencies with fewer program needs, good communication, adequate staffing levels, good supervision, positive attitude toward rehabilitation, and higher institutional capacity for change were better able to implement planned changes in assessment and case-planning procedures. Such agencies may be better candidates for implementation improvement strategies, whereas other agencies could benefit from pre-intervention efforts aimed at strengthening these characteristics before attempting to improve assessment procedures.

PurposePatient navigation is an evidence-based approach for enhancing medical and support service co-ordination and ensuring linkage to medical care for people living with HIV released from jail. The paper aims to discuss this issue.Design/methodology/approachThis brief describes the benefits of patient navigation and issues to consider when implementing a navigator program. The authors use process data to describe the type and amount of navigation services delivered as part of a randomized study, the “The San Francisco Navigator Project.”FindingsNavigation programs are able to accommodate a range of service needs; most clients required multiple types of services, particularly during the first two months after release.Originality/valueNavigation programs should be prioritized because they provide unique and essential support for people leaving jail during the particularly vulnerable time immediately after release navigation plays a crucial role in retaining individuals in care and preventing onward transmission of HIV.

The National Criminal Justice Drug Abuse Treatment Studies research program conducted cluster randomized trials to test an organizational process improvement strategy for implementing evidence-based improvements in HIV services for preventing, detecting, and/or treating HIV for individuals under correctional supervision. Nine research centers conducted cluster randomized trials in which one correctional facility used a modified Network for Improvement of Addiction Treatment (NIATx) change team approach to implementing improved HIV services and the other facility used their own approach to implement the improved HIV services. This paper examines whether the intervention increased the perceived value of HIV services among staff of correctional and community HIV organizations. Baseline and follow-up measures of the perceived acceptability, feasibility, and organizational support for implementing HIV service improvements were collected from correctional, medical, and community HIV treatment staff. Results indicated that the perceived acceptability and feasibility of implementing HIV services improved among staff in the facilities using the modified NIATx change team approach as compared to staff in the comparison facilities.

Jails and prisons are major sites of novel coronavirus (SARSCoV-2) infection. Many jurisdictions in the United States have therefore accelerated the release of low-risk offenders. Early release, however, does not address how arrest and pretrial detention practices may be contributing to disease spread. Using data from Cook County Jail-one of the largest known nodes of SARS-CoV-2 spread in the United States-in Chicago, Illinois, we analyzed the relationship between jailing practices and community infections at the ZIP code level. We found that jailcommunity cycling was a significant predictor of cases of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), accounting for 55 percent of the variance in case rates across ZIP codes in Chicago and 37 percent of the variance in all of Illinois. Jail-community cycling far exceeds race, poverty, public transit use, and population density as a predictor of variance. The data suggest that cycling people through Cook County Jail alone is associated with 15.7 percent of all documented COVID-19 cases in Illinois and 15.9 percent of all documented cases in Chicago as of April 19, 2020. Our findings support arguments for reduced reliance on incarceration and for related justice reforms both as emergency measures during the present pandemic and as sustained structural changes vital for future pandemic preparedness and public health.

Objectives. To collect national data on pregnancy frequencies and outcomes among women in US state and federal prisons. Methods. From 2016 to 2017, we prospectively collected 12 months of pregnancy statistics from a geographically diverse sample of 22 state prison systems and the Federal Bureau of Prisons. Prisons reported numbers of pregnant women, births, miscarriages, abortions, and other outcomes. Results. Overall, 1396 pregnant women were admitted to prisons; 3.8% of newly admitted women and 0.6% of all women were pregnant in December 2016. There were 753 live births (92% of outcomes), 46 miscarriages (6%), 11 abortions (1%), 4 stillbirths (0.5%), 3 newborn deaths, and no maternal deaths. Six percent of live births were preterm and 30% were cesarean deliveries. Distributions of outcomes varied by state. Conclusions. Our study showed that the majority of prison pregnancies ended in live births or miscarriages. Our findings can enable policymakers, researchers, and public health practitioners to optimize health outcomes for incarcerated pregnant women and their newborns, whose health has broad sociopolitical implications.

Background Current research shows that overall numbers for cannabis use among adolescents and young adults dropped in recent years. However, this trend is much less pronounced in continuous cannabis use. With regard to the heightened risk for detrimental health- and development-related outcomes, adolescents and young adults with continuous cannabis use need special attention. The health services structure for adolescents and young adults with substance related problems in Germany, is multifaceted, because different communal, medical and judicial agencies are involved. This results in a rather decentralized organizational structure of the help system. This and further system-inherent characteristics make the threshold for young cannabis users rather high. Because of this, there is a need to establish evidence-based low-threshold help options for young cannabis users, which can be easily disseminated. Therefore, a training programme for young cannabis users (age 14-21) was developed in the \"CAN Stop\" project. Within the project, we seek to implement and evaluate the training programme within different institutions of the help system. The evaluation is sensitive to the different help systems and their specific prerequisites. Moreover, within this study, we also test the practicability of a training provision through laypersons. Methods/Design The CAN Stop study is a four-armed randomized wait-list controlled trial. The four arms are needed for the different help system settings, in which the CAN Stop training programme is evaluated: (a) the drug addiction aid and youth welfare system, (b) the out-patient medical system, (c) the in-patient medical system and (d) prisons for juvenile offenders. Data are collected at three points, before and after the training or a treatment as usual, and six months after the end of either intervention. Discussion The CAN Stop study is expected to provide an evidence-based programme for young cannabis users seeking to reduce or quit their cannabis use. Moreover, we seek to gain knowledge about the programme's utility within different settings of the German help system for young cannabis users and information about the settings' specific clientele. The study protocol is discussed with regard to potential difficulties within the different settings. Trial registration ISRCTN: ISRCTN57036983