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Abstract: 

This article reviews three new and important research studies. The first, “The Effectiveness of Interactive Journaling in Reducing Recidivism Among Substance- Dependent Jail Inmates” by Steven Proctor, Norman Hoffmann, and Steve Allison International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology (published online February 28, 2011) examines the effects of interactive journaling programs for jail populations on recidivism. The study found that inmates who participated in a particular form of journaling were less likely to end up back in the system. The second study, “Long-Term Effects of Prenatal and Infancy Nurse Home Visitation on the Life Course of Youths: 19-Year Follow-Up of a Randomized Trial” by John Eckenrode, Mary Campa, Dennis Luckey, Charles Henderson, Robert Cole, Harriet Kitzman, Elizabeth Anson, Kimberly Sidora Arcoleo, Jane Powers, and David Olds 164(1) Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine (2010) 9–15 examines the long term effects of nurse home visitation services for children born into high-risk environments. The study shows that youth whose mothers were visited by nurses during pregnancy and the first two years of life had fewer lifetime arrests. The third study, “The Impact of Mental Health Services on Arrests of Offenders With a Serious Mental Illness” by Robert J. Constantine, John Robst, Ross Andel, and Gregory Teague Law and Human Behavior (published online March 17, 2011) is an examination of the effects of mental health services on arrests among offenders diagnoses with a serious mental illness (SMI).

Keywords: SMI; serious mental illness; journaling;nurse visitation

Affiliations:  1: UC Irvine.