To What Extent Does Prisoners' Mental Illness Undermine Programming Effectiveness?

• NCJ Number: 240165
• Author(s): Beth Ann Skinner
• Date Published: December 2010
• Length: 160 pages
• Publication Format: Dissertation/Thesis
• Publication Type: Research (Applied/Empirical)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Doctor of Philosophy degree in Social Work in the Graduate College of The University of Iowa

Annotation

This study investigated the extent to which prisoners' mental illness affects the effectiveness of prison programs.

Abstract

Findings from the study on the impact of prisoners' mental illness on the effectiveness of prisoner reentry programs show that while vocational training had positive and significant effects on employment rates and full-time employment, the presence of mental illness had a negative significant impact on prisoners' ability to complete vocational training and GED classes and have successful employment outcomes. In addition, the findings indicate that having a mental illness significantly increased the likelihood of recidivism among inmates participating in prisoner reentry programs. This study examined the dynamics between prisoner mental illness, prison program completion, and successful reentry in a sample of male offenders (n=3,426) released on parole from correctional facilities in Iowa. The main focus of the study was to determine the impact of mental illness on prison vocational and educational programming on reentry outcomes, and the interaction between mental illness and prison programming on reentry outcomes. The findings show that effective prison programming has positive significant effects on prisoner reentry outcomes and that these outcomes can be negatively impacted due to the presence of prisoner mental illness. Study limitations and implications for policy and practice are discussed. Tables, figures, references, and appendixes