Community Probation Research Articles

Screening children in conflict with the law in Kenya for mental health needs using the Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument–Version 2

A growing body of research shows that justice-involved children, particularly those in conflict with the law, present with symptoms of a diagnosable mental disorder. Routine screening and assessment of young offenders assists justice actors in determining the most appropriate treatment interventions, ensures effective rehabilitation, and enhances public safety. Conversely, some child-justice jurisdictions such as Kenya have not integrated mental health screening for children entering the justice system. This lack of internal audit mechanisms by agencies can contribute to worsening of the young person’s mental status. This study sought to determine the mental health needs of 153 children in conflict with the law committed by courts to remand homes, reception centers, rehabilitation schools, Borstal institutions, youth corrective centers, probation hostels, and on community probation supervision in Nairobi country. Massachusetts Youth Screening Instrument Version-2 was used to screen the children. The findings revealed that thought disturbance in boys was the highest endorsed scale as 58.9% were within warning range scores. Clinically significant caution level scores were reported for somatic complaints (66.7%), angry-irritable (54.2%), and depressed-anxious (45.1%). There were statistically significant gender differences in somatic complaints (p = 0.021), suicidal ideation (p < 0.001) and traumatic experiences (p = 0.034). Respondents with a history of offending had higher mean scores in alcohol/drug use (M = 2.92, SD = 2.36). Significant differences were found between the institution where the child was screened and alcohol/drug use. The findings of this study could assist the Kenyan child justice system to institute mechanisms for mandatory mental health screening, assessment, and treatment of young offenders.

A study on the “community-hospital-community” model of community nursing practice teaching for undergraduate nursing students

ObjectiveTo improve the quality of community nursing teaching practice and cultivate undergraduate nursing students who meet the quality accreditation standards of our nursing profession, and to explore the establishment of an undergraduate nurse practice model.MethodsUsing the methods of literature review, survey, expert consultation, and discussion, we established the steps and contents of community practice teaching for undergraduate nursing students, and implemented them for the students of Grades 2014, 2015, and 2016, and evaluated the “community-hospital-community” practice model through various forms, such as student self-evaluation, faculty evaluation, exit examination, and evaluation by certified experts.ResultA three-stage community nursing practice model of “community-hospital-community” was established for undergraduate nursing students. After three stages of practice, nursing undergraduates successfully passed the practical assessments and achieved excellent grades in each stage that met the requirements of the training program. In the first stage (community probation), community probation emphasizes a fundamental understanding of the community, using free clinics, health education, and home visits as entry points to effectively cultivate students’ job competence and proficiency in nursing operations and nurse-patient communication skills. In the second stage (internship in the hospital), through nursing internships in various systems, students are trained to integrate theoretical knowledge with practical skills and consolidate their understanding of fundamental knowledge, theory, and techniques. They are capable of preventing, diagnosing, intervening, and providing health education for common, frequent, urgent and critical complications in various clinical systems. They can formulate nursing plans and implement whole-person care. In the third stage (returning to the community for internship), students can master basic skills such as nursing operations and patient communication skills, and then they can enter the community internship.ConclusionThe community nursing practice model of “community- hospital- community” for undergraduate nursing students can systematically train undergraduate nursing students’ ability to work in the community.

Horizontal and vertical responsibilisation in the resettlement field

PurposeThe Offender Rehabilitation Act 2014 extended post-release supervision to individuals serving short prison sentences while introducing an extended array of actors into the resettlement field. This paper aims to explore the barriers that prison practitioners and community probation workers faced in their attempts to provide resettlement support, and how in response to these barriers, these practitioners enacted particular responsibilisation strategies.Design/methodology/approachThis empirical research features the perspectives of 19 prison, probation and third-sector actors within a case-study area in England. Qualitative interviews were carried out, alongside observations and field notes of daily practice.FindingsFindings indicate that despite the promise of additional support, practitioners face significant barriers inhibiting their ability to provide effective resettlement assistance. The three specific barriers identified are institutional, temporal and political-economic. In response, practitioners enacted particular responsibilisation strategies, shifting blame vertically down to service users and horizontally towards the other actors involved in managing these individuals.Practical implicationsThis article concludes with a brief overview of the latest iteration of resettlement practice, before exploring how a desistance-focused approach by practitioners may improve resettlement outcomes.Originality/valueThese findings help to expand our understanding of the responsibilisation literature, particularly how responsibilisation operates at a practitioner level, and how barriers become refracted and reframed into responsibilisation strategies. This article also draws on the “mass supervision” literature to demonstrate how the introduction of multiple agencies obfuscates individual responsibility for resettlement and large caseloads erode supervisory practice.

Prison Overcrowding: Alternative Sentencing in Indonesia’s Draft Criminal Code and Its Consequences on Correctional System

Imprisonment is often the most preferred choice of punishment in the eyes of law enforcement officers. As a result, prison overcrowding is inevitable and leads to the emergence of various problems in prisons. The discourse of alternative sentencing has recently gained increasing prominence in the Indonesian public with a view to addressing such problems amid the ongoing review of the Draft Criminal Code (Rancangan Kitab Undang-Undang Hukum Pidana/ RKUHP). This article aims to analyze alternative sentencing in the form of community service and probation penalties. It discusses the role and strategic measures taken by the Indonesian correctional system related to the performance of community correctional counselors in order to prepare for the implementation of alternative sentencing in the future. Employing a qualitative method, this study shows that alternative sentencing is principally in line with the concept of social reintegration and the philosophy of the current Indonesian Correctional Institution (Lembaga Pemasyarakatan). The correctional system in the country has also begun to take strategic measures to respond to the future implementation of the alternative sentencing in the RKUHP by means of updating the legal framework and improving infrastructure as well as the quality of human resources in accordance with the framework of community-based corrections.

Using implementation interventions and peer recovery support to improve opioid treatment outcomes in community supervision: Protocol

ObjectiveThe purpose is to determine whether a facilitated local change team (LCT) intervention improves linkage to medication for opioid use disorder (MOUD) and implementation outcomes, and whether participant-level outcomes are further enhanced by use of peer support specialists (PSS). MethodsThis Type 1 hybrid implementation-effectiveness study involves a pre-post design (implementation study) followed by a randomized trial of PSS (effectiveness study). Participants are at least 114 justice and service staff from 7 sites in three states: probation officers, community treatment providers, a supervisor from each agency, and key stakeholders. The study will recruit up to 680 individuals on probation from seven adult community probation offices; eligible individuals will be recently committed, English speakers, with opioid use disorder (OUD). Core Implementation Study: The study will use the exploration, preparation, implementation, sustainability (EPIS) framework to guide system-change through facilitated LCTs of probation and community treatment staff given a core set of implementation strategies to set goals. The study will collect program-level and staff survey data at the end of each EPIS stage. Implementation outcomes: Organizational engagement in MOUD (primary), plus changes in staff knowledge/attitudes and organizational outcomes (secondary). Effectiveness Study of PSS: After completing implementation, the study will randomize adults on probation to receive PSS vs. treatment as usual, with assessments at baseline, 3, 6 and 12 months. Effectiveness outcomes include participant engagement in MOUD (primary), probation revocation, illicit opioid use, and overdoses. Other aims include identifying barriers and facilitators, and cost-benefit analysis of PSS. Adaptations in response to COVID-19 included moving many procedures to remote methods.

Mentalization for Offending Adult Males (MOAM): study protocol for a randomized controlled trial to evaluate mentalization-based treatment for antisocial personality disorder in male offenders on community probation

BackgroundAntisocial personality disorder (ASPD), although associated with very significant health and social burden, is an under-researched mental disorder for which clinically effective and cost-effective treatment methods are urgently needed. No intervention has been established for prevention or as the treatment of choice for this disorder. Mentalization-based treatment (MBT) is a psychotherapeutic treatment that has shown some promising preliminary results for reducing personality disorder symptomatology by specifically targeting the ability to recognize and understand the mental states of oneself and others, an ability that is compromised in people with ASPD. This paper describes the protocol of a multi-site RCT designed to test the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of MBT for reducing aggression and alleviating the wider symptoms of ASPD in male offenders subject to probation supervision who fulfil diagnostic criteria for ASPD.MethodsThree hundred and two participants recruited from a pool of offenders subject to statutory supervision by the National Probation Service at 13 sites across the UK will be randomized on a 1:1 basis to 12 months of probation plus MBT or standard probation as usual, with follow-up to 24 months post-randomization. The primary outcome is frequency of aggressive antisocial behaviour as assessed by the Overt Aggression Scale – Modified. Secondary outcomes include violence, offending rates, alcohol use, drug use, mental health status, quality of life, and total service use costs. Data will be gathered from police and criminal justice databases, NHS record linkage, and interviews and self-report measures administered to participants. Primary analysis will be on an intent-to-treat basis; per-protocol analysis will be undertaken as secondary analysis. The primary outcome will be analysed using hierarchical mixed-effects linear regression. Secondary outcomes will be analysed using mixed-effects linear regression, mixed-effects logistic regression, and mixed-effects Poisson models for secondary outcomes depending on whether the outcome is continuous, binary, or count data. A cost-effectiveness and cost-utility analysis will be undertaken.DiscussionThis definitive, national, multi-site trial is of sufficient size to evaluate MBT to inform policymakers, service commissioners, clinicians, and service users about its potential to treat offenders with ASPD and the likely impact on the population at risk.Trial registrationISRCTN 32309003. Registered on 8 April 2016.

A Pragmatic Study of the Impact of a Brief Mindfulness Intervention on Prisoners and Staff in a Category B Prison and Men Subject to Community-Based Probation Supervision.

Objectives:This article presents two studies assessing the impact of mindfulness in prison (prisoners and staff) and non-custodial settings.Method:Study 1—prisoners (n = 17) and staff (n = 15) in a UK prison completed a mindfulness program; 16 individuals acted as a single time point comparison. Data were collected using self-report, computer based and physiological measurement. Study 2—men under community probation supervision were allocated to mindfulness (completed, n = 28) or TAU (n = 27). Data were collected using self-report mindfulness measures.Results:Study 1—statistically significant (increases in mindfulness skills (η2p = .234 to η2p = .388), cognitive control (η2p = .28), and heart rate variability (SDNN; η2p = .41) along with significant decreases in stress (η2p = .398) were found. In study 2, the mindfulness group showed non-significant improvements in mindfulness skills.Conclusion:The findings suggest brief mindfulness interventions could make an important contribution to offender rehabilitation and custodial staff wellbeing.

The Vital Role of a Full Continuum of Psychiatric Care Beyond Beds.

The authors make the case for expanding the national discussion of inpatient psychiatric beds to recognize and incorporate other vital components of the continuum of care in order to improve outcomes for individuals with serious mental illness. They review the varied terminology applied to psychiatric beds and describe how the location of these beds has changed from primarily state hospitals to the criminal justice system, emergency departments, inpatient units, and the community. The authors propose 10 recommendations related to beds or to contextual issues regarding them. The recommendations address issues of mental illness terminology, criminal and juvenile justice diversion, the Emergency Medical Treatment and Labor Act, mental health technology, and the mental health workforce, among others. Each recommendation is based on findings from publicly available data and clinical observation and is intended to reduce the human and economic costs associated with severe mental illness by promoting a robust, interconnected, and evidence-based system of care that goes beyond beds.

Assessing Risk Among Correctional Community Probation Populations: Predicting Reoffense With Mobile Neurocognitive Assessment Software.

We seek to address current limitations of forensic risk assessments by introducing the first mobile, self-scoring, risk assessment software that relies on neurocognitive testing to predict reoffense. This assessment, run entirely on a tablet, measures decision-making via a suite of neurocognitive tests in less than 30 minutes. The software measures several cognitive and decision-making traits of the user, including impulsivity, empathy, aggression, and several other traits linked to reoffending. Our analysis measured whether this assessment successfully predicted recidivism by testing probationers in a large urban city (Houston, TX, United States) from 2017 to 2019. To determine predictive validity, we used machine learning to yield cross-validated receiver–operator characteristics. Results gave a recidivism prediction value of 0.70, making it comparable to commonly used risk assessments. This novel approach diverges from traditional self-reporting, interview-based, and criminal-records-based approaches, and can also add a protective layer against bias, while strengthening model accuracy in predicting reoffense. In addition, subjectivity is eliminated and time-consuming administrative efforts are reduced. With continued data collection, this approach opens the possibility of identifying different levels of recidivism risk, by crime type, for any age, or gender, and seeks to steer individuals appropriately toward rehabilitative programs. Suggestions for future research directions are provided.

Workload of Community Probation Officers and Its Implications - Focusing on the Officers in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do Areas -

Workload of Community Probation Officers and Its Implications - Focusing on the Officers in Seoul and Gyeonggi-do Areas -

The Implementation of Functional Family Therapy (FFT) as an Intervention for Youth Probationers in Singapore

Family functioning is predictive of youth recidivism in Singapore. However, there is a lack of family based interventions for youth offenders on community probation. Evidence‐based family interventions developed in Western populations, such as Functional Family Therapy (FFT), have been found to be effective in mitigating subsequent youth criminal behavior. However, no study has examined whether such interventions can be implemented and adapted for use in Eastern cultures. Thus, this paper sought to detail the implementation of FFT in Singapore. Rationale for the adoption of FFT is discussed, and key activities undertaken during the first 18 months of implementation are described. Preliminary data suggest that initial implementation efforts were successful. Challenges encountered, and implications in relation to the broader literature are discussed.

CHOICES-TEEN: Reducing Substance-Exposed Pregnancy and HIV among Juvenile Justice Adolescent Females.

The feasibility and acceptability of CHOICES-TEEN - a 3-session intervention to reduce overlapping risks of alcohol-exposed pregnancy (AEP), tobacco-exposed pregnancy (TEP) and HIV - was assessed among females in the juvenile justice system. Females 14-17 on community probation in Houston, Texas were eligible if presenting with aforementioned health risks. Outcome measures - obtained at one- and three-months post baseline - included the Timeline Followback, Client Satisfaction Questionnaire-8, session completion/checklists, Working Alliance Inventory-Short, and open-ended questions. Twenty-two participants enrolled (82% Hispanic/Latina; mean age=16). The results suggest strong acceptability and feasibility with high client satisfaction and client/therapist ratings, 91% session completion, and positive open-ended responses. All youth were at risk at baseline, with the following proportions at reduced risk at follow-up: AEP (90% 1-month; 71.4% at 3-months; TEP (77% of smokers (n=17) at reduced risk at 1-month; 50% at 3-months); and HIV (52.4% 1-month; 28.6% at 3-months).

From research to practice: Bridging the gaps for psychologists working in indigenous communities affected by gangs.

Young peoples' involvement with has been identified as a growing issue for Indigenous people in Canada (Comack, Deane, Morrissette, & Silver, 2013; Grekul & LaBoucane-Benson, 2008; Nafekh, 2002; Statistics Canada, 2012) and the United States (Hautala, Sittner, & Whitbeck, 2016; Major, Egley, Howell, Mendenhall, & Armstrong, 2004). Indigenous peoples are overrepresented in multiple systems (i.e., child welfare, judicial systems, community probation), and experience a variety of responses to gang issues (Bell & Lim, 2005; Comack et al., 2013; Goodwill & Ishiyama, 2015). Many survivors of gang life report the trajectory of moving from government foster care to provincial or federal corrections (Comack et al., 2013; Goodwill, 2016; Goodwill & Ishiyama, 2015), replicating patterns established by residential schools (Macdonald, 2016). Yet, most Indigenous people will never be involved with criminal activity or (Sinclair & Grekul, 2012). We agree with Comack's (2012) investigations with Indigenous peoples' and their encounters with police and the evidence that Indigenous peoples and communities are watched more intently because of the racist belief that they will ultimately commit crimes. We also support the claims that Indigenous emerged from Canada's distinctively colonial context (Comack et al., 2013; Deane, Bracken, & Morrissette, 2007; Fontaine, 2014; Grekul & LaBoucane-Benson, 2008; Henry, 2013). The challenge for Canadian psychological practice is to identify sound research evidence from the treatment literature as well as the decolonizing literature and respond to the opportunity to develop antiracist equitable practices in health and human services.BackgroundPsychologists and allied health practitioners working in correctional, child welfare, on and off-reserve settings require treatment models that allow for coordinated interactions across provincial and federal jurisdictions, especially where Indigenous peoples are overrepresented. Overrepresentation in child welfare has roots in systemic racism linked to funding shortfalls in child welfare and education (Blackstock, 2011; Sinha et al., 2012), and the legacy of residential schools and sixties scoop in Canada (Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, 2015). Concerns about in Canada prompted conservative tough on crime imposition of law and order solutions, changes in the definition of gangs, and harsher prison terms for those deemed to be in street gangs (Comack et al., 2013). The cumulative effects of racist and neoliberal governance aggravate the sequelae of colonial brutality while failing to address relational traumas or systemic violence plaguing Indigenous communities (Comack et al., 2013).The definition of a gang is essential to our investigations, however there is a lack of consensus among academics, policymakers, and law enforcement regarding what constitutes a gang (Alleyne & Wood, 2010). Having a common definition would help policymakers determine the relative effectiveness of various law enforcement and gang prevention programs operating within different jurisdictions. Although we do not disagree with this point, there are problems with research traditions that result in academics, policymakers, and law enforcement ascending into the role of expert when it comes to gazing upon the changing nature of in Indigenous communities in the context of our colonial predicament. There are many promises to be fulfilled by Canada in their part of the treaty relationship, as well as numerous recommendations made by, for instance, the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada (2015), the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples (1996), and Stolen Sisters (Amnesty International, 2004). For the purposes of understanding the research considered in this article, we chose a broad definition for that should be refined by each Indigenous community, urban or rural, on or off reserve. …

Sentinel Events Preceding Youth Firearm Violence

Accurately identifying youth at highest risk of firearm violence involvement could permit delivery of focused, comprehensive prevention services. This study explored whether readily available city and state administrative data covering life events before youth firearm violence could elucidate patterns preceding such violence. Four hundred twenty-one individuals arrested for homicide, attempted homicide, aggravated assault, or robbery with a firearm committed in Wilmington, Delaware, from January 1, 2009 to May 21, 2014, were matched 1:3 to 1,259 Wilmington resident controls on birth year and sex. In 2015, descriptive statistics and a conditional logistic regression model using Delaware healthcare, child welfare, juvenile services, labor, and education administrative data examined associations between preceding life events and subsequent firearm violence. In a multivariable adjusted model, experiencing a prior gunshot wound injury (AOR=11.4, 95% CI=2.7, 48.1) and being subject to community probation (AOR=13.2, 95% CI=5.7, 30.3) were associated with the highest risk of subsequent firearm violence perpetration, though multiple other sentinel events were informative. The mean number of sentinel events experienced by youth committing firearm violence was 13.0 versus 1.9 among controls (p<0.0001). Within the sample, 84.1% of youth experiencing a sentinel event in all five studied domains ultimately committed firearm violence. Youth who commit firearm violence have preceding patterns of life events that markedly differ from youth not involved in firearm violence. This information is readily available from administrative data, demonstrating the potential of data sharing across city and state institutions to focus prevention strategies on those at greatest risk.

Offender case management: Reducing the rate of reoffending by Māori

In New Zealand, the number of offenders who continue to commit crime after leaving prison or completing community-based sentences is high, with the likelihood of reoffending much higher for Māori. The Police, Iwi (Māori tribe) and the Department of Corrections (the New Zealand Government agency responsible for prisons and correctional facilities, community probation, and parole services) have set clear goals to reduce the level of crime and the rate of reoffending. A decrease in reoffending will benefit society in terms of reduced costs to the justice system, less crime, safer communities and fewer victims. There is growing international evidence that offender case management is effective at reducing reoffending. The collaborative approach brings together representatives from the justice system, local authorities and other organisations to work alongside offenders who are due for release from prison. This article presents the results of Project Kete, a joint initiative between A3K (an organisation that provides support for Māori clients), the Police and the Department of Corrections. Sixteen high-risk Māori offenders nearing the end of their sentences received intensive support and supervision to help them reintegrate into the community. The results are encouraging. All 16 offenders remained out of prison as at December 2014 – a 100% reduction in the expected reimprisonment rate – and the 1-year reconviction rate was 33% versus a predicted rate of 48%.

Leveraging The Affordable Care Act To Enroll Justice-Involved Populations In Medicaid: State And Local Efforts.

The Affordable Care Act provides an unprecedented opportunity to enroll criminal justice-involved populations in health insurance, particularly Medicaid. As a result, many state and county corrections departments have launched programs that incorporate Medicaid enrollment in discharge planning. Our study characterizes the national landscape of programs enrolling criminal justice-involved populations in Medicaid as of January 2015. We provide an overview of sixty-four programs operating in jails, prisons, or community probation and parole systems that enroll individuals during detention, incarceration, and the release process. We describe the variation among the programs in terms of settings, personnel, timing of eligibility screening, and target populations. Seventy-seven percent of the programs are located in jails, and 56 percent use personnel from public health or social service agencies. We describe four practices that have facilitated the Medicaid enrollment process: suspending instead of terminating Medicaid benefits upon incarceration, presuming that an individual is eligible for Medicaid before the process is completed, allowing enrollment during incarceration, and accepting alternative forms of identification for enrollment. The criminal justice system is a complex one that requires a variety of approaches to enroll individuals in Medicaid. Future research should examine how these approaches influence health and criminal justice outcomes.

Analysis of evaluation on general practice community probation from the perspective of medical undergraduates

Objective To evaluate the curriculum and teaching of general practice community probation from the perspective of medical undergraduates and provide evidence for improving general practice community probation. Methods A self-designed questionnaire was adopted to investigate 151 medical undergraduates after general practice probation in November 2014. The questionnaire consisted of evaluation on the curriculum and teaching of probation. Likert scale was adopted to evaluate each question, the score ranges from 1 to 5. Epidata 3.0 was utilized to establish the database and SPSS 17.0 was adopted for data analysis. Mean and standard error were adopted to describe quantitative variables, frequency distribution and constituent ratio were adopted to describe categorical variables. Spearman rank correlation test (α=0.05) was adopted to analyze the association between the overall evaluation of visiting community health service center (CHSC) and observing general practice consultation and the evaluation of teaching. Results Total 151 valid questionnaires were collected. The score of overall evaluation on general practice community probation was 4.34, the score of overall evaluation on visiting CHSC was 4.25, the score of overall evaluation on observing general practice consultation was 4.34. In the evaluation on the teaching of 2 general practice community probation ses-sions, communication between the faculties and students had the lowest score i.e. 4.21 and 4.34 respec-tively. Teaching consciousness, professional capacity and communication with students of the faculties were associated with the overall evaluation of visiting CHSC and observing general practice consultation (P<0.05). Conclusion The role of community probation in the teaching of Introduction to general medicine can not be ignored, the training sites and faculty development should be further strength-ened and the evaluation of the effect of community probation should be improved. Key words: Medical undergraduate; General practice; Community probation; Teaching evaluation; Questionnaire investigate

Motywowanie skazanych z problemem alkoholowym do samowychowania w warunkach wolności dozorowanej

The article assesses the methods of educational treatment by community probation officers in their work with alcohol-abusing probationers. The theoretical introduction contains a brief analysis of the mixed model of judicial supervision concerning adults and the determinants of resocializing effects in the work with persons in whom criminal deviation combines with risk factors and disorders associated with the alcohol problem. The presented information is unique as compared with the one-sided analyses of the work of probation officers chiefly based on the assessment of their own records of activities. The efficacy of the probation officers cases largely depends on his/her commitment to the rehabilitation process, the manner of treatment of those under supervision, and on his/her subjective feeling of being overstrained in the mental and physiological sense.

Beyond the Gates: Identifying and Managing Offenders with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in Community Probation Services.

Research has indicated that, compared with the general population, the prevalence of offenders with ADHD in prison is high. The situation for offenders managed in the community by the Probation Service is unknown. This study aimed to bridge the gap in our knowledge by (1) surveying the awareness of probation staff about ADHD and (2) screening the rate of offenders with ADHD managed within the service. In the first study, a brief survey was circulated to offender managers working in 7 Probation Trusts in England and Wales asking them to estimate the prevalence of offenders with ADHD on their caseload, the presenting problems of these offenders and challenges to their management, and the training received on the treatment and management of offenders with ADHD. The survey had a return rate of 11%. Probation staff perceived that 7.6% of their caseload had ADHD and identified this group to have difficulties associated with neuropsychological dysfunction, lifestyle problems and compliance problems. They perceived that these problems hindered meaningful engagement with the service and rehabilitation. Challenges to their management were perceived to be due to both internal processes (motivation and engagement) and external processes (inadequate or inappropriate interventions). Few respondents had received training in the management of offenders with ADHD and most wanted more support. In the second study, a sub-sample of 88 offenders in one Probation Trust completed questionnaires to screen for DSM-IV ADHD in childhood and current symptoms. The screen found an estimated prevalence of 45.45% and 20.51% for childhood and adulthood ADHD respectively and these were strongly associated with functional impairment. Thus probation staff considerably underestimated the likely rate, suggesting there are high rates of under-detection and/or misdiagnosis among offenders with ADHD in their service. The results indicate that screening provisions are needed in probation settings, together with training for staff.

The emergence of restorative justice in Sri Lanka: a review essay

Within the framework of retributive justice, crime is understood as an offence against the State and is defined as a violation of law. It represents the punitive approach of reaction to crime, where the offenders are considered as an unwanted group who should be punished. However, with the development of criminology, offenders are identified as the persons needing rehabilitation and reintegration into the society as law abiding citizens. This novel thinking has paved the way to the establishment of the concept of restorative justice where crime is understood to be an infringement on man and human relationship. It involves reintegration of both the offender and victim within the community. The restorative justice principle could be found in community service orders, probation, parole, and other noncustodial measures as alternatives to the traditional incarceration, victim offender mediation, sentencing, peacemaking and healing circles, police cautions, and active participation of victims in the criminal justice process, and so on. This article evaluates Sri Lanka's transformation from retributive justice to restorative justice by incorporating the above-mentioned means and methods to the criminal justice system. Further, it examines how these innovations have affected the crime rate in Sri Lanka.