No abstract

Several states allow for the civil commitment of individuals as sexually violent persons (SVPs) if they have a mental disorder that predisposes them to future sexual violence. Many SVPs are managed in secure inpatient settings. Some states also permit supervised release (SR) to the community if certain criteria are met. Public opposition to SVPs returning to the community is not uncommon given concerns about risk for sexual reoffending; however, there is limited research about the risk such individuals actually pose. The current study examined outcomes, including sexual recidivism and various types of technical violations, for 205 SVPs on SR in Wisconsin. Over approximately a 2.5-year follow-up, only 1.5% were charged with a sexual offense, though custody events for a violation of any type were relatively common (46.3%). Age predicted time to custody event, but other presumably relevant indicators, including actuarial risk scores and expert opinions regarding client suitability for SR per statutory criteria, did not. Implications for managing SVPs under community supervision settings are discussed.

Statistical consulting is a common and vital activity undertaken by those with advanced statistical training but may not be widely available to health professionals and trainees without access to dedicated statistical consulting cores. Here, we present a novel model of statistical consulting used by a student chapter of the American Statistical Association housed in a graduate health professions university. This student‐led organization provides statistical consulting services for faculty, staff and students university‐wide. Information on the methods of advertising consulting services, the role of a professional statistician faculty advisor, resources available to consultants and university community members and the ways in which consulting services were adapted to address the barriers introduced by the COVID‐19 pandemic are addressed. Data from 108 consults performed over the past two and a half years with 88 different consultees are analysed and discussed. This article outlines an innovative model of student‐led statistical consultation for healthcare professionals and trainees and aims to provide a template for future student‐led organizations who similarly aim to perform university statistical consultations.

Introduction: We examined police exchanges' and feelings of discrimination's impact on changes in adolescent depression symptoms. Relative to other races, police speak more disrespectfully to African Americans and often exert unnecessary force. We investigated the impact of these exchanges on depression. Methods: Adolescent Health Study data were analyzed. Latent growth curve modeling with mediation illustrated relationships between police exchanges, perceived discrimination, and depression changes. Results: African American adolescents had significantly higher levels of initial depression than other racial/ethnic identity groups. For African Americans, police exchanges predicted depression changes. Perceived respect predicted levels and changes of depression for both groups, but mediated the relationship between police exchanges and depression changes only in the “other” racial/ethnic identity group. Discussion: Police stoppings impacted depression changes for African Americans independent of perceived respect. Findings highlight a potentially unique relationship between depression and police exchanges among African Americans. Future studies may investigate roles of individual differences.

Evaluating patient satisfaction in therapeutic settings is consistent with a Risk–Needs–Responsivity (RNR) model. This study provides results from a program improvement initiative in a sexually violent person (SVP) civil commitment facility that queried patients and treatment providers about their satisfaction with therapeutic processes and assessment methods. Overall, patients reported high levels of satisfaction with treatment at the facility, with the highest levels of satisfaction on items about being treated with kindness and respect and staff acting professionally. Providers rated current assessment methods such as the Penile Plethysmography (PPG) assessment, polygraph testing, and neuropsychological testing as most helpful for patients in treatment progress; however, patients rated PPG assessment and polygraph testing as the least helpful of the assessments conducted. Soliciting patient feedback periodically could be important for maintaining treatment engagement and discovering opportunities to enhance patient satisfaction to treatment in a SVP civil commitment setting.