Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #15 - What is Effective Reintegration? (ACJ15-A009)

Article 9: An International Exploration into the World of Mental Health in Community Corrections (ACJ15-A009)

Abstract

The purpose of the current study was to conduct an initial international exploration into mental health in community corrections. The qualitative analysis revealed seven themes that highlighted many barriers and identified necessary building blocks for success for justice-involved individuals as they reintegrate into the community and on their path to desistance. These include meaningful collaboration, rapport, trust and an emphasis on housing and employment. Much depends on meeting the client where they are, as people go through the stages of adaptation at different times and speeds. Ultimately, despite different practices, participants agreed on the value of person-centered, community-integrated approaches.

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Authors

Sonya McLaren

PhD Candidate in Forensic Psychology, Carleton University, Canada

Sonya McLaren is a PhD candidate in Forensic Psychology, with a Concentration in Quantitative Methodology at Carleton University under the supervision of Dr. Ralph Serin. Her research predominantly focuses on justice-involved person change, with a specific focus on implications for decision-making and policy. Her thesis titled “Understanding Change in a Diverse Correctional Sample”, examines a new measure of change for justice-involved individuals. Sonya’s research interests include parole decision-making, justice-involved person change and rehabilitation, risk assessment, mental health in corrections, and extreme violence.

Teresa Brasio-McLaughlin

PhD Candidate, Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom

Teresa Brasio-McLaughlin is a current PhD candidate within the Scottish Centre for Crime and Justice Research at the University of Glasgow, under the supervision of Dr. Marguerite Schinkel, Dr. Caitlin Gormley and Professor Fergus McNeill. Her thesis is titled ‘Men’s Mental Health After Prison: Everyday Experiences of Mental Health In The Community Post-Imprisonment’. This research aims to further the understanding of the impact of mental health on experiences of release, re-entry and reintegration as well as contribute to improving the support offered post-prison, particularly for people who might not meet the criteria to access certain services. Teresa’s research interests encompass mental health, punishment, citizenship, inequality, and discrimination of marginalised populations within the criminal justice system.

Emilie Gossye

Ph.D. Candidate, University of Brussels, IACFP, Belgium

Emilie Gossye graduated in 2021 with a Master’s in Criminological Sciences at the University of Ghent. She is currently a Ph.D. candidate at the University of Brussels (VUB) on the project “Jail craft of prison officers in post-authoritarian prisons in Belgium and the Netherlands: a comparative research study”, under the supervision of prof. dr. Kristel Beyens and prof. dr. An-Sofie Vanhouche. She focuses on the role of recruitment and training of prison officers and how organizational change is affected by socialization and occupational culture. She continues to work with the IACFP on the MIRAD project about multi-agency cooperation and deradicalization.

Advancing Corrections Journal - Edition #15 - What is Effective Reintegration? (ACJ15-A009)

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