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Mental Illness, Criminal Risk Factors and Parole Release Decisions
Author(s) -
Matejkowski Jason,
Draine Jeffrey,
Solomon Phyllis,
Salzer Mark S.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
behavioral sciences and the law
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.649
H-Index - 74
eISSN - 1099-0798
pISSN - 0735-3936
DOI - 10.1002/bsl.991
Subject(s) - recidivism , psychology , mental illness , discretion , psychiatry , population , denial , antisocial personality disorder , clinical psychology , personality , poison control , medicine , injury prevention , social psychology , mental health , medical emergency , environmental health , political science , law , psychoanalysis
Research has not examined whether higher rates of parole denial among inmates with mental illness (MI) are the result of the increased presence of criminal risk factors among this population. Employing a representative sample of inmates with ( n = 219) and without ( n = 184) MI receiving parole release decisions in 2007, this study tested whether the central eight risk factors for recidivism considered in parole release decisions intervened in the relationship between MI and parole release. MI was associated with possession of a substance use disorder, antisocial personality disorder and violent charges while incarcerated; however, these factors were not related to release decisions. MI was found to have neither a direct nor an indirect effect on release decisions. While results indicate that release decisions appear, to some extent, to be evidence‐based, they also suggest considerable discretion is being implemented by parole board members in release decisions above and beyond consideration of criminal risk factors. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.