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This paper examines the inner workings of Chinese human smuggling organizations. Contrary to widely held conceptions about Chinese organized crime, most alien smugglers are otherwise ordinary citizens whose familial networks and fortuitous social contacts have enabled them to pool resources to transport human cargoes around the world. They come from diverse backgrounds and form temporary alliances to carry out smuggling operations. With the exception of a shared commitment to making money, little holds them together. The smuggling organizations mostly resemble ad hoc task forces and are assembled for specific operations. These organizations have clear divisions of labor with limited hierarchical structures. We discuss the theoretical implications of their unique organizational characteristics.

Background Although hepatitis A virus (HAV) and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infections are vaccine-preventable diseases, few homeless parolees coming out of prisons and jails have received the hepatitis A and B vaccination series. Objectives The study focused on completion of the HAV and HBV vaccine series among homeless men on parole. The efficacy of three levels of peer coaching and nurse-delivered interventions was compared at 12-month follow up: (a) intensive peer coaching and nurse case management (PC-NCM); (b) intensive peer coaching (PC) intervention condition, with minimal nurse involvement; and a (c) usual care (UC) intervention condition, which included minimal PC and nurse involvement. Further, we assessed predictors of vaccine completion among this targeted sample. Methods A randomized control trial was conducted with 600 recently paroled men to assess the impact of the three intervention conditions (PC-NCM vs. PC vs. UC) on reducing drug use and recidivism; of these, 345 seronegative, vaccine-eligible subjects were included in this analysis of completion of the Twinrix HAV/HAB vaccine. Logistic regression was added to assess predictors of completion of the HAV/HBV vaccine series and chi-squared analysis to compare completion rates across the three levels of intervention. Results Vaccine completion rate for the intervention conditions were 75.4% (PC-NCM), 71.8% (PC), and 71.9% (UC) (p =. 78). Predictors of vaccine noncompletion included being Asian and Pacific Islander, experiencing high levels of hostility, positive social support, reporting a history of injection drug use, being released early from California prisons, and being admitted for psychiatric illness. Predictors of vaccine series completion included reporting six or more friends, recent cocaine use, and staying in drug treatment for at least 90 days. Discussion Findings allow greater understanding of factors affecting vaccination completion in order to design more effective programs among the high-risk population of men recently released from prison and on parole.

In the late 1990s, California legislators funded a statewide, community-based correctional program intended to reduce parolee recidivism. Overseen by the California Department of Corrections, the PreventingParolee Crime Program (PPCP) provided literacy training, employment services, housing assistance, and substance abuse treatment to tens of thousands of parolees. The study found that the PPCP produced modest reductions in reincarcerations and parole absconding, creating the potential for substantial long-term cost savings for California taxpayers. Because the PPCP's positive effects were strongest for parolees who completed their services, future program designers and administrators should consider including mechanisms to improve parolee retention and service utilization. This study also points out the potential benefits of incorporating rigorous evaluation plans into the design and implementation of correctional rehabilitation programs.

Objectives This study conducted a randomized controlled trial with 600 recently released homeless men exiting California jails and prisons. Methods The purpose of this study was to primarily ascertain how different levels of intensity in peer coaching and nurse-partnered intervention programs may impact reentry outcomes; specifically: (a) an intensive peer coach and nurse case managed (PC-NCM) program; (b) an intermediate peer coaching (PC) program with brief nurse counseling; and (c) the usual care (UC) program involving limited peer coaching and brief nurse counseling. Secondary outcomes evaluated the operational cost of each program. Results When compared to baseline, all three groups made progress on key health-related outcomes during the 12-month intervention period; further, 84.5 % of all participants eligible for hepatitis A/B vaccination completed their vaccine series. The results of the detailed operational cost analysis suggest the least costly approach (i.e., UC), which accounted for only 2.11 % of the total project expenditure, was as effective in achieving comparable outcomes for this parolee population as the PC-NCM and PC approaches, which accounted for 53.98 % and 43.91 %, respectively, of the project budget. Conclusions In this study, all three intervention strategies were found to be comparable in achieving a high rate of vaccine completion, which over time will likely produce tremendous savings to the public health system.