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Suicide Risk and Mental Health Co-morbidities in a Probationer Population

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Abstract

Mental health problems are disproportionately represented in the community corrections system with limited information on the epidemiology of mental health and correlated factors such as suicide among probationers. This study recruited 2,077 probationers who completed screeners for mental health and substance disorders and suicide risk. Results found 13 % of probationers were at high risk of suicide. Those who screened positive for a mental health condition were between 2 and 8 times more likely to screen positive for suicide risk. Allocation of additional resources to mental health in the criminal justice system and to effectively coordinate existing mental health services is needed.

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Acknowledgments

The study described was supported by Grant Number 2009040047 from the Meadows Foundation. The authors are grateful for the assistance of Kristen Hahn, William Effinger, the Tarrant County CSCD’s Treatment Alternative to Incarceration Program personnel, and the Primary Care Research Center staff of the University of North Texas Health Science Center in this project.

Conflict of interest

All authors listed declare no conflicts of interest. All authors declare that the manuscript is not being reviewed elsewhere and they do not intend to submit to any other journal until the review process is complete.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Community Medicine, Department of Family and Community Medicine, University of Kentucky College of Medicine, 740 South Limestone, K311 KY Clinic, Lexington, KY, 40506-9983, USA

    Roberto Cardarelli

  2. Primary Care Research Center, Texas Prevention Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA

    Elizabeth Balyakina, Kendra Malone & Tanjina Shabu

  3. Department of Family Medicine, Primary Care Research Center, Texas Prevention Institute, University of North Texas Health Science Center, 3500 Camp Bowie Blvd, Fort Worth, TX, 76107, USA

    Kimberly G. Fulda

  4. Department of Graduate Counseling Programs, Texas Wesleyan University, 1201 Wesleyan St., Fort Worth, TX, 76105, USA

    Michael Ellison

  5. Tarrant County Community Supervision and Corrections Department, 200 W. Belknap St., Fort Worth, TX, 76102, USA

    Ron Sivernell

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  1. Roberto Cardarelli
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Correspondence to Roberto Cardarelli.

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Cardarelli, R., Balyakina, E., Malone, K. et al. Suicide Risk and Mental Health Co-morbidities in a Probationer Population. Community Ment Health J 51, 145–152 (2015). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-014-9771-2

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