Improving Employment Outcomes for Probationers With Mental Illnesses
Condition: Mental Disorders, Severe
MeSH terms: Mental Disorders
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Employment is a key protective factor against recidivism; however, the lack of job
      opportunities keeps justice-involved mentally ill individuals, especially young adults of
      color, unemployed and at risk for future justice involvement. To address these issues and
      grow the evidence for evidence-based practices for justice-involved adults with mental
      illnesses, the investigators will study the implementation and outcomes of individual
      placement support-supported employment (IPS-SE) combined with specialty mental health
      probation (SMHP) for probationers with mental illnesses.
    

Detailed description: 
      The large and growing number of individuals with mental illnesses who are on probation have a
      difficult time accessing housing, employment, and health and mental health care, which is
      especially concerning for young adults aged 19-25 who make up just 10% of the population but
      26% of those on probation. Employment is a key protective factor against recidivism; however,
      the lack of job opportunities keeps justice-involved mentally ill individuals, especially
      young adults of color, unemployed and at risk for future justice involvement. Without access
      to evidence-based supported employment interventions, economic inequality and poverty among
      justice-involved young adults with mental illnesses will remain unchanged.

      To this end, an experienced multidisciplinary team will study the implementation and outcomes
      of individual placement support-supported employment (IPS-SE) combined with specialty mental
      health probation (SMHP) for probationers with mental illnesses. The investigators' long-term
      goal is to develop the evidence for interventions designed to improve employment outcomes
      among justice-involved individuals who have mental illnesses and conduct translational
      research with broad application to justice-involved individuals living with mental illnesses.
      The investigators will pursue the following specific aims:

      Aim 1: Examine the barriers and facilitators to implementing IPS-SE in a probation setting.
      The investigators will use qualitative methods and semi-structured interviews with key
      stakeholders involved in the implementation of SMHP+IPS-SE to understand how IPS-SE can be
      embedded successfully in a probation setting.

      Aim 2: Conduct a randomized trial to examine the impact of the SMHP+IPS-SE on employment and
      annual income for probationers with mental illnesses. The investigators will randomly assign
      120 individuals to receive SMHP + treatment as usual (TAU) or SMHP+IPS-SE. The research team
      will test the following hypothesis - H1: SMHP+IPS-SE recipients will be more likely to obtain
      and sustain employment compared to SMHP+TAU recipients.

      The expected outcomes include: (1) an understanding of the implementation barriers and
      facilitators associated with providing IPS-SE in a probation setting; (2) an understanding of
      how IPS-SE needs to be adapted for probationers with mental illnesses; and (3) evidence that
      SMHP+IPS-SE can improve employment outcomes among justice-involved probationers with mental
      illnesses. This research has the potential to promote the adoption and dissemination of best
      practices at the interface of the mental health and criminal justice systems and promises to
      grow the evidence for interventions that improve employment and reduce economic inequalities
      among a vulnerable population.
    

Intervention name(s): Individual Placement Support - Supported Employment
Intervention type(s): Behavioral
Intervention description(s): Individual, person-centered intervention designed to help individuals living with mental illnesses obtain and sustain meaningful employment. This is an evidence-based practice for individuals with severe mental illnesses.
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Randomized control trial
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Health Services Research
Keywords: probation; employment