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Issues Of Inmates Not Receiving Mental Health Treatment: A Prison-Based Counselor Perspective, Ashley Celestine Westmoreland Jan 2023

Issues Of Inmates Not Receiving Mental Health Treatment: A Prison-Based Counselor Perspective, Ashley Celestine Westmoreland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental illnesses in correctional facilities have been an issue for decades and have increased over time. According to recent studies, correctional facilities have become known as mental health institutions without access to treatment. It is unclear why correctional facilities have limited resources, but research indicates that offenders are not receiving the appropriate treatment. This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to explore how five prison-based counselors perceive the quality and quantity of mental health services provided to inmates. The data were analyzed and coded using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The current study’s findings further added to the base of knowledge that …


Effect Of Family Engagement On The Behavioral Health Of Mentally Ill Offenders, Jessica Rae Horn Jan 2023

Effect Of Family Engagement On The Behavioral Health Of Mentally Ill Offenders, Jessica Rae Horn

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

In the United States, 40% of incarcerated individuals have been diagnosed with a mental health disorder, but they often lack the support system needed to navigate their incarceration. This study addressed ways to understand how family engagement opportunities can improve the behavioral health of mentally ill offenders. Specifically, five research questions were used to explore the degree to which the practice of family engagement was understood as a method for providing support to mentally ill incarcerated individuals. The study followed the Baldrige Framework of Excellence to identify current organizational leadership and management issues that can help reach its goals, improve …


Issues Of Inmates Not Receiving Mental Health Treatment: A Prison-Based Counselor Perspective, Ashley Celestine Westmoreland Jan 2023

Issues Of Inmates Not Receiving Mental Health Treatment: A Prison-Based Counselor Perspective, Ashley Celestine Westmoreland

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Mental illnesses in correctional facilities have been an issue for decades and have increased over time. According to recent studies, correctional facilities have become known as mental health institutions without access to treatment. It is unclear why correctional facilities have limited resources, but research indicates that offenders are not receiving the appropriate treatment. This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to explore how five prison-based counselors perceive the quality and quantity of mental health services provided to inmates. The data were analyzed and coded using the Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA). The current study’s findings further added to the base of knowledge that …


Resilience Of Former Offenders Released From A Halfway House, Tasha Andrea Pritchett Jan 2022

Resilience Of Former Offenders Released From A Halfway House, Tasha Andrea Pritchett

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Former offenders confront a myriad of obstacles that often lead to re-offending and return to prison. Re-offending also creates financial and social burdens for taxpayers. There is some evidence that the consequences of incarceration for offenders can be buffered through resilience. Factors that promote resilience can be personal (internal) and environmental (external), and may directly or indirectly affect offenders’ adaptation, well-being, and development as they transition out of prison. The purpose of the study was to explore the narratives of resilience in adult males who have transitioned from halfway houses to mainstream society. Richardson’s metatheory of resilience and resiliency was …


Trauma Barriers To Substance Abuse Treatment Engagement Among Formerly Incarcerated Males, Eleonora Vlasta Juliana Jan 2021

Trauma Barriers To Substance Abuse Treatment Engagement Among Formerly Incarcerated Males, Eleonora Vlasta Juliana

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This study explored treatment engagement among formerly incarcerated adult males in a community-based substance abuse treatment program who experienced barriers related to sexual and violent trauma histories. Fully engaging in treatment requires a readiness to become and remain sober, and for those who suffer from trauma, such readiness may be absent, and continued substance use may be their way to cope with pain. This study explored a gap in the literature concerning how sexual and violent trauma might play a role as barriers to engaging in substance abuse treatment among formerly incarcerated males. Understanding how such traumas impact treatment engagement …


A Qualitative Study Of Parolee Perceptions Of Penal Educational Program, Deborah Denise Johnson Jan 2021

A Qualitative Study Of Parolee Perceptions Of Penal Educational Program, Deborah Denise Johnson

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

An estimated 30% of the incarcerated population does not participate in the educational programs offered within the target state penal education system. The purpose of this study was to understand the perceptions of parolees towards the prison’s education system and the problem of low participation by using a qualitative approach and conceptual framework based on Bandura’s theory of self-efficacy. Three research questions explored parolee perceptions toward barriers for enrollment and participation in education programming during incarceration, strategies and supports that could have increased self-confidence and motivation to participate in the programs, and descriptions of internalized experiences. Data were collected using …


Predictors Of Recidivism For Offenders With Substance Use Disorders, Yvonne Cheeks Jan 2021

Predictors Of Recidivism For Offenders With Substance Use Disorders, Yvonne Cheeks

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

AbstractRecidivism is a substantial problem in the United States due to the number of paroles/probationers reoffending. The U.S. prison system has become the new asylum and a revolving door for individuals, which is even more true for those with substance use disorders (SUDs). Once these individuals leave prison, they are likely to end up reoffending at some point in the future due to substance use/abuse (i.e., committing crimes to support substance use, selling substances, etc.). Scholarly literature lacked studies examining the predictors of recidivism for offenders with SUD in North Carolina. . The purpose of this quantitative, correlational, cross-sectional study …


Dynamics Of Male-On-Male Penetrative Sexual Assaults In The United States Army, Nicole Cunningham Jan 2021

Dynamics Of Male-On-Male Penetrative Sexual Assaults In The United States Army, Nicole Cunningham

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Male-on-male sexual assaults are a challenge for prevention and response personnel, law enforcement, and the military justice system. Limited research has been conducted on the military sex offender population, and none has been done specifically on military male-on-male assaults resulting in a gap in the research on offenders, what factors make their victims vulnerable, and the situational dynamics of the assaults. In this quantitative exploratory study, 171 cases of penetrative male-on-male sexual assaults were examined through the lens of the routine activity theory. The results of this exploration found that both victims and offenders were most likely to be 18-24 …


Relationships Among Patterns Of Criminal Thinking Styles And Recidivism In Non-Violent Offenders On Probation, Dr. Louise Mitsianis Jan 2020

Relationships Among Patterns Of Criminal Thinking Styles And Recidivism In Non-Violent Offenders On Probation, Dr. Louise Mitsianis

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The 3-year rate of recidivism in the United States is around 43%, costing taxpayers millions of dollars every year. The purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between criminal thinking styles and self-reported recidivism, which included crimes committed that were not reported to authorities. According to Ellis' Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy theory, behavior is a direct result of cognitive activity. The research question asked what relationship existed between criminal thinking styles and recidivism for post-release non-violent offenders on probation. Using the Psychological Inventory of Criminal Thinking Styles, this study used a non-experimental survey approach, correlating scores from this measure …


African American, Postrelease, Opioid, Female Offenders' Experiences In Job Interviews, Wanda Dunmore Jan 2019

African American, Postrelease, Opioid, Female Offenders' Experiences In Job Interviews, Wanda Dunmore

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The increasing recidivism rate for African American female offenders is exacerbated by postrelease job candidates' difficulties with interviewing for employment. The purpose of this hermeneutical, phenomenological study was to examine experiences from postrelease, African American, female, opioid offenders when interviewing with potential employers. Critical race Black feminist theory was used as the ontological lens for this research. Criterion sampling was used to recruit 12 female African American opioid female research participants. Data collection occurred via 12 semistructured, face-to-face interviewees. Thematic analysis was used to develop common emergent themes from the lived experiences of postrelease, African American, female, opioid offenders. Results …


Causes Of Recidivism Among Mentally Ill Prerelease Offenders From The Perspective Of Former Correctional Mental Health Professionals, Rina Desiree Deneice Bradley Brown Jan 2018

Causes Of Recidivism Among Mentally Ill Prerelease Offenders From The Perspective Of Former Correctional Mental Health Professionals, Rina Desiree Deneice Bradley Brown

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The move toward reducing the prison population was driven by an increase in the number of reentry programs that focused on the needs of the offender, such as the provision of stable housing, employment, education, and sustaining strong familial bonds. While the literature supported these areas as being effective in reducing recidivism, there was no consensus that they were effective for offenders with mental illness (OMI). The purpose of this qualitative study was to analyze the impact of prerelease services for the OMI population from the perspective of former correctional mental health professionals who provided these services. The research questions …


Perspectives And Post-Release Experiences Of Convicted African American Women Drug Offenders, Janet Fash Jan 2018

Perspectives And Post-Release Experiences Of Convicted African American Women Drug Offenders, Janet Fash

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Prisons in the United States are full to capacity because of the revolving doors created by recidivism. African American women comprise a significant proportion of those who return to prison, yet most studies about women and recidivism focus on the experiences of white women. The communities into which formerly incarcerated African American women are released do not make things easier in terms of the potential for reoffending because of the difficult access to good jobs, safe housing, good health care services, and assistance with child cares services. Using Cullen's social support theory as the foundation, the purpose of this general …


Perceived Quality Of Care And Burnout In Psychiatric Caregivers Working With Offenders, Latoya Brown Gage Jan 2018

Perceived Quality Of Care And Burnout In Psychiatric Caregivers Working With Offenders, Latoya Brown Gage

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Perceived quality of care and burnout affects psychiatric care workers profession-ally and physically. Psychiatric caregivers working in forensic facilities encounter negative changes with perceived quality of care and burnout when working with offender patients. Recognizing the variables that lead to burnout and perceived quality of care may assist professionals and organizations with the information needed to prevent burnout and poor perceived quality of care among psychiatric caregivers. Using self-efficacy theory as a framework, this correlational design examined whether years of experience, self-efficacy, and caseload complexity predict burnout and perceived quality of care. A total of 148 psychiatric caregiver participants completed …


A Phenomenological Analysis Of Formerly Incarcerated Women's Perceptions Of Successful Reentry, Angela Martilik Jan 2018

A Phenomenological Analysis Of Formerly Incarcerated Women's Perceptions Of Successful Reentry, Angela Martilik

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Female offenders are distinctly different from male offenders, and present with their own gender-specific needs and issues both in and out of the correctional setting. Most approaches to treatment and programming for female offenders are currently based on research involving males and approaches designed for males. Inquiry regarding the gender-specific needs of female inmates as they pertain to treatment and reentry programs is necessary so professionals can better understand how to serve this population. Through in-depth semi-structured interviews with 8 women who were formerly incarcerated in the United States, this phenomenological study was used to examine the perceptions of successful …


How Heroin-Addicted Offenders Experience Sobriety Upon Release From Jail, Rebecca Lynn Foster Jan 2017

How Heroin-Addicted Offenders Experience Sobriety Upon Release From Jail, Rebecca Lynn Foster

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Heroin addiction is a growing epidemic in the United States. The need for proper treatment programs accessible by heroin users who wish to or are mandated to participate in recovery programs is a growing need, and pathways to sobriety for ex-offenders have presented in literature as understudied. The purpose of this study was to examine heroin-addicted offenders' experiences prior to and after release on their paths to sobriety. This study followed a qualitative phenomenological approach based on the theory of personal causation, which posits that individuals see events in life as either driven by themselves or caused by others, both …