Attitudes toward the death penalty are multifaceted and strongly held, but little research outside of the death-qualification literature has focused on the role that such attitudes and beliefs play in jurors' capital sentencing verdicts. A single item is insufficient to properly measure attitudes toward the death penalty; therefore, a new 15-item, 5-factor scale was constructed and validated. Use of this scale in 11 studies of capital jury decision making found a large effect of general support of the death penalty on sentencing verdicts as well as independent aggravating effects for the belief that the death penalty is a deterrent and the belief that a sentence of life without parole nonetheless allows parole. These effects generally were not completely mediated by, nor did attitudes moderate the effects of, aggravating and mitigating factors.

Working with suicidal inmates is among the most demanding elements of clinical practice in corrections, yet few studies regarding the characteristics of prison inmate suicide attempters or their attempts exist. This represents a significant gap as the method of attempt, the prison context, and the resulting lethality of these incidents may be different from attempts made outside of prison. This exploratory study is the first to apply a continuous scale rating of suicide attempt lethality to incidents where an inmate survived a suicide attempt. It describes the attempt incident dynamics and resulting range of lethality scores found within the study sample. It also examines the inmate adjustment and mental health characteristics that were associated with the lethality rating. Preliminary findings suggest that increases in suicide attempt lethality are associated with the presence of Axis II disorders, favorable staff interactions, and the decreased use of drugs other than marijuana, alcohol, cocaine, or depressants. A call for research to extend this exploration through replication is made and recommendations for clinical practice are considered.

It is clear that adequate academic and continuing education/training for correctional mental health professionals is imperative if their practice is to be effective. To help shape such training, the clinical and correctional knowledge ranked most meaningful and relevant by psychologists practicing in federal prisons is determined. Overall, results suggest nine core bodies of knowledge representing a mix of clinical (e.g., psychopathology, suicide prevention, psychopharmacology) and prison-based domains (e.g., interdepartmental communications, safety, confrontation avoidance) form the heart of their work. In terms of where such knowledge was obtained, graduate school is frequently endorsed for the more clinical domains, but the correctional domains are transmitted namely through on-the-job training. Recommendations for training psychologists to practice in corrections include the development of a two-tiered training strategy that offers a curriculum in basic psychological knowledge unique to corrections and an advanced curriculum that builds on foundational clinical knowledge obtained in graduate school.

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Patterns of response to an approaches to studying inventory across contrasting groups and contexts. European