Specialty Mental Health Probation in North Carolina

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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Specialty mental health probation for offenders with severe mental illness has been widely disseminated; however, randomized studies are needed to determine its effectiveness. The purpose of the study is to test the feasibility and efficacy of specialty mental health probation (SMHP) for probationers with mental illness in North Carolina. 320 adult probationers with mental illness in will be randomly assigned to specialty mental health probation (experimental condition) or usual probation (control condition). Probationers assigned to the experimental condition will be supervised by specialty mental health probation officers, who will have reduced caseloads and advanced training in mental health and other topics. Probationers assigned to the control condition will receive standard probation. Criminal justice and mental health outcomes will be examined.

Detailed Description
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Specialty mental health probation for offenders with severe mental illness has been widely disseminated; however, randomized studies are needed to determine its effectiveness. The purpose of the study is to test the feasibility and efficacy of specialty mental health probation (SMHP) for probationers with mental illness in North Carolina. 320 adult probationers with severe mental illness in will be randomly assigned to receive specialty mental health probation (experimental condition) or standard probation (control condition). Probationers assigned to the experimental condition will be supervised by specialty mental health probation officers, who will have reduced caseloads and advanced training in mental health and other topics. Probationers assigned to the control condition will receive standard probation. Criminal justice and mental health outcomes will be examined.

Official Title
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Specialty Mental Health Probation in North Carolina

Conditions
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Mental Illness, Substance Use, Criminal Behavior

Intervention / Treatment
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* Behavioral: Specialty Mental Health Probation


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Qualifying diagnosis of severe mental illness - schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depression, post-traumatic stress disorder + on probation in North Carolina + capable of passing study competency quiz administered by the research team Exclusion Criteria: None

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 21 Years
Maximum Age: 64 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Treatment<br>Specialty mental health probation - delivered by probation officers who receive specialized training and ongoing clinical consultation with a licensed mental health professional and who have reduced caseloads of exclusively mentally ill offenders. | Behavioral: Specialty Mental Health Probation<br>* Specialty mental health probation includes the following components: (1) exclusively mentally ill caseload of probationers; (2) reduced caseload of 40-45 probationers; (3) problem-solving supervision orientation; (4) ongoing training and consultation; and (5) greater connection with local mental health services<br>|
| Active Comparator: Control<br>Standard probation - delivered by a standard probation officer - care as usual | Behavioral: Specialty Mental Health Probation<br>* Specialty mental health probation includes the following components: (1) exclusively mentally ill caseload of probationers; (2) reduced caseload of 40-45 probationers; (3) problem-solving supervision orientation; (4) ongoing training and consultation; and (5) greater connection with local mental health services<br>|

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Recidivism | Recidivism, probation revocation or other criminal justice events | 24 months | 

Secondary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Mental health service engagement | Administrative data from local and state mental health authorities will be accessed to assess mental health service utilization | 24 months | 
| Mental health functioning | Assessment of mental health functioning - standardized measure (Symptom Checklist - SCL-10-R) | 6 months | 
| Social support | Assessment of social support - standardized measure (Medical Outcomes Study - Social Support Scale [MOS]) | 6 months | 
| Life events checklist | Assessment of traumatic life events - standardized measure (Life Events Checklist - LEC-5 Standard) | Baseline | 
| Substance use | Criminal justice contact related to substance use - via administrative records | 24 months | 
| Social network (researcher-created measure of social support network) | Access and utilization of pro-social network as measured by a researcher-created instrument | 6 months | 
| Dual Role Relationship Inventory (DRRI, standardized measure) | Assessment of probationer's relationship with probation officer | baseline, 6 months |