Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Offenders who have co-occurring mental and substance use disorders (COD) are a population of significant interest as their needs place exceptional demands on systems of care. To address the lack of a validated COD screening instrument for the criminal justice system, the investigators are developing a brief, standardized screening instrument --The Criminal Justice Co-Occurring Disorders Screening Instrument (CJ-CODSI). This presentation reviews the standardization and validation of the mental disorder portion of this instrument.

The tested screening battery was made up of the Mental Health Screening Form (Carroll and McKinley, 2001), the Global Appraisal of Individual Needs Short Screener (Dennis et al, 2002), and the MINI International Neuropsychiatric Interview, Modified (Sheehan et al., 1998). Using a total sample of 330, 100 cases are being used to construct the best possible instrument and the remaining cases will be used to validate the results. Preliminary analysis (n=100) indicates that six items from these instruments are highly effective in screening for the presence of mental disorders among inmates in substance abuse treatment. The overall accuracy for correctly predicting the diagnosis on the SCID is 86%. Outcomes from the validation study and subgroups analyses (females, minorities, violent offenders) will be presented.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: Although social science research suggests that same sex harassing behavior occurs because of sex, the courts who envision the “because of sex” requirement through the lens of equal treatment, often miss this fact. While the Supreme Court decided in Oncale v. Sundowner Offshore Servs., that Title VII forbids harassment by members of the same sex, it emphasized that the harassment must occur “because of sex.” This admonition has created confusion in the courts in same-sex and other-sex harassment cases. For example, all courts have held that demonstrating that perpetrators used sexual behavior or taunting to harass the victim is not sufficient to prove that the harassment occurred “because of sex.”
Moreover, courts often hesitate to conclude that the behavior occurs because of sex when only one or two members of a particular gender is harassed and others are not. Dated social science literature, to some extent, supported the courts’ theories, distinguishing bullying from harassment based on sex. An emerging understanding of the overlap between bullying and sexual or gender-based harassment is occurring, however, in the social science and legal literatures.
Masculinities theory, as well as other social science research into bullying and harassment can help the courts understand the gendered nature of these behavior, even when the behaviors are not overtly sexual or gendered, or even when they appear to encompass “hazing” of members of the same sex. Masculinities theory can help establish that same- sex harassment occurs because of sex, especially when that harassment is perpetrated in a group setting. This paper uses masculinities theory to argue that often bullying and harassment occurs because of sex and that it should be remedied by Title VII.

Publication Type: Poster
Abstract: The Rocky Mountains Research Center, Center for Integration of Research and Practice, National Development and Research Institutes, Inc. This poster will describe the development of the CJ-CODSI, an instrument for screening co-occurring mental disorder and substance use in prison populations. Instrument development will be described and preliminary psychometric data will be provided based on a pilot study.

Publication Type: Conference Paper/Unpublished Manuscript
Abstract: “Research on family based programs that serve women involved within the criminal justice system is extremely limited, with even less information on the subgroup of women with co-occurring disorders” (Alvorado, 2002; p .1). To address this shortcoming, semi-structured focused interviews were conducted with eleven women who were participants in Drug Court, and with treatment providers and staff. Interview data provided insight into the special needs of women with co-occurring disorders and how the Drug Court system is addressing them. Results indicated that the most salient issues involved family and children, abuse issues, access to education, and employment opportunities.

Publication Type: Abstract
Abstract: Invasive species are becoming a pervasive threat to world’s biodiversity. In recent years, several attempts have been made to characterize the underlying factor responsible for invasiveness of a species. Among the various qualities, genetic make-up appears to be an important factor responsible for invasiveness of a species. However, there are very few studies that have validated this. In this study an attempt was made to assess the population genetic diversity of an invasive species, Lantana camara Linn. (native to Jamaica) and compared with its co-occurring, non-invasive Lantana indica Roxb. (Verbinaceae). The study was carried out in Biligiri Rangaswamy Temple (B.R.T) Wildlife Sanctuary, Western Ghats, India. The random quadrat data suggested that invasive L. camara (24.6±10.73) possess significantly higher densities than non-invasive L. indica (10.3±5.77). However, the population genetic data obtained from ten RAPD primers indicated that both invasive and non-invasive species did not differ significantly, though there was variation. Further, the results were confirmed by repeating the experiment in another locality within the BRT sanctuary. Our results leads a conclusion that invasiveness of a species is independent of its genetic diversity, perhaps the life-history traits may be more important than merely the genetic composition.