Ascertainment of Vital Status Among People With Criminal Justice Involvement Using Department of Corrections Records, the US National Death Index, and Social Security Master Death Files.
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ABSTRACT:
SUBMITTER: Binswanger IA
PROVIDER: S-EPMC5430939 | biostudies-literature | 2017 May
REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature
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Ascertainment of Vital Status Among People With Criminal Justice Involvement Using Department of Corrections Records, the US National Death Index, and Social Security Master Death Files.
Binswanger Ingrid A IA Morenoff Jeffrey D JD Chilcote Charley A CA Harding David J DJ
American journal of epidemiology 20170501 10
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Project description:BackgroundHIV-infected individuals recently released from incarceration have suboptimal linkage and engagement in community HIV care. We conducted a study to evaluate an information and communication technology intervention to increase linkage to community care among HIV-infected persons recently involved in the criminal justice (CJ) system. Baseline characteristics including risk behaviors and HIV care indicators are reported and stratified by gender.MethodsWe recruited HIV-infected individuals in the District of Columbia jail and persons with a recent history of incarceration through community and street outreach. Participants completed a baseline computer-assisted personal interview regarding HIV care and antiretroviral treatment (ART) adherence, substance use, and sexual behaviors. CD4 and HIV plasma viral load testing were performed at baseline or obtained through medical records. Data were analyzed for the sample overall and stratified by gender.ResultsOf 110 individuals, 70% were community-enrolled, mean age was 40 (SD = 10.5), 85% were Black, and 58% were male, 24% female, and 18% transgender women. Nearly half (47%) had condomless sex in the three months prior to incarceration. Although drug dependence and hazardous alcohol use were highly prevalent overall, transgender women were more likely to have participated in drug treatment than men and women (90%, 61%, and 50% respectively; p = 0.01). Prior to their most recent incarceration, 80% had an HIV provider and 91% had ever taken ART. Among those, only 51% reported ≥90% ART adherence. Fewer women (67%) had received HIV medications during their last incarceration compared to men (96%) and transgender women (95%; p = 0.001). Although neither was statistically significant, transgender women and men had higher proportions of baseline HIV viral suppression compared to women (80%, 69%, and 48.0% respectively, p>0.05); a higher proportion of women had a CD4 count ≤200 compared to men and transgender women (17%, 8% and 5% respectively; p>0.05).ConclusionsIn this study, HIV-infected persons with recent incarceration in Washington, DC reported important risk factors and co-morbidities, yet the majority had access to HIV care and ART prior to, during, and after incarceration. Self-reported ART adherence was sub-optimal, and while there were not statistically significant differences, CJ-involved women appeared to be at greatest risk of poor HIV outcomes.Trial registrationRegistered on ClinicalTrials.gov on 10/16/2012. Reference number: NCT01721226.
| S-EPMC5231337 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectiveTo determine the reliability of the Social Security Death Master File (DMF) after the November 2011 changes limiting the inclusion of state records.Data sourcesSecondary data from the DMF, New York State (NYS) and New Jersey (NJ) Vital Statistics (VS), and institutional data warehouse.Study designRetrospective study. Two cohorts: discharge date before November 1, 2011, (pre-2011) or after (post-2011). Death in-hospital used as gold standard. NYS VS used for out-of-hospital death. Sensitivity, specificity, Cohen's Kappa, and 1-year survival calculated.Data collection methodsPatients matched to DMF using Social Security Number, or date of birth and Soundex algorithm. Patients matched to NY and NJ VS using probabilistic linking.Principal findings97 069 patients January 2007-March 2016: 39 075 pre-2011; 57 994 post-2011. 3777 (3.9 percent) died in-hospital. DMF sensitivity for in-hospital death 88.9 percent (κ = 0.93) pre-2011 vs 14.8 percent (κ = 0.25) post-2011. DMF sensitivity for NY deaths 74.6 percent (κ = 0.71) pre-2011 vs 26.6 percent (κ = 0.33) post-2011. DMF sensitivity for NJ deaths 62.6 percent (κ = 0.64) pre-2011 vs 10.8 percent (κ = 0.15) post-2011. DMF sensitivity for out-of-hospital death 71.4 percent pre-2011 (κ = 0.58) vs 28.9 percent post-2011 (κ = 0.34). Post-2011, 1-year survival using DMF data was overestimated at 95.8 percent, vs 86.1 percent using NYS VS.ConclusionsThe DMF is no longer a reliable source of death data. Researchers using the DMF may underestimate mortality.
| S-EPMC6338290 | biostudies-literature
Project description:Several large, county-level initiatives are underway to improve behavioral health care for justice-involved clients. Unfortunately, only about a quarter of counties participate in these efforts, leaving justice-involved populations at risk of poor mental health, substance use, and judicial outcomes. This study examined characteristics of 2,922 U.S. counties and county equivalents by whether they participated in these initiatives and found that crime and socioeconomic characteristics were not associated with participation. Participating counties had significantly more robust mental health and substance use care delivery systems. Nonparticipating counties may lack the expertise and basic delivery system prerequisites needed for participation in most national initiatives, further driving geographic disparities.
| S-EPMC9005561 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ImportanceHealth disparities between African Americans and Whites have persisted in the United States. Researchers have recently hypothesized that the relatively poor health of African Americans may be caused, in part, by African American overrepresentation in the criminal justice system.ObjectivesTo test the hypothesis that criminal justice system involvement is associated with poor health and greater health risk when controlling for unobserved family factors through a discordant sibling design.MethodsSubjects were drawn from the Carolina African American Twin Study of Aging (CAATSA). Criminal conviction records were extracted from North Carolina's Department of Public Safety. Six measures of health and one measure of health risk were analyzed. The health of convicted respondents was compared to that of unrelated non-convicted respondents matched on childhood and demographic factors ("matched sample"). Convicted respondents were also compared to non-convicted siblings ("discordant sibling sample").ResultsThe matched sample included 134 CAATSA respondents. On average, convicted CAATSA respondents, compared to matched non-convicted respondents, were in worse health. Convicted respondents had worse mean self-reported health, worse lung function, more depressive symptoms, and smoked more. The discordant sibling sample included 74 respondents. Convicted siblings and non-convicted siblings had similar self-reported health, depressive symptoms, and smoking. In general, non-convicted siblings were in worse health than non-convicted respondents from the matched sample, implying that poor health runs in families.ConclusionsThis study provided preliminary evidence that some of the association between a criminal record and poor health is confounded by family factors. Though more research is needed to support these results, the study suggests that criminal involvement may not be associated with the surfeit of health problems observed among African Americans. The criminal justice system, nonetheless, could be used to decrease the health disparity.
| S-EPMC6369245 | biostudies-literature
Project description:ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to assess the reliability the Social Security Administration Death Master File (SSADMF) for evaluating mortality in comparative peripheral vascular device studies.MethodsWe leveraged 2 versions of an administrative claims data set that were identical except for the source of mortality data. The SSADMF was the primary source of mortality records in one version. The SSADMF was combined with mortality from Medicare beneficiary records in the other. Our study was set in the context of a comparative effectiveness analysis of recent Food and Drug Administration interest involving peripheral paclitaxel-coated devices. Mortality of patients with Medicare Advantage insurance coverage from 2015 to 2018 who underwent femoropopliteal artery revascularization with a drug-coated device (DCD) or non-DCD was assessed through 2019. Covariate differences between treatment groups were adjusted by inverse propensity treatment weighting. The hazard ratio of DCD to non-DCD mortality was estimated using Cox regression.ResultsThe cumulative incidences of mortality differed substantially between versions of the data. Nevertheless, we could not reject the null hypothesis that the hazard ratios of the SSADMF (1.05; 95% confidence interval 0.95-1.17) and the Master Beneficiary Summary File/SSADMF (1.03; 95% confidence interval 0.96-1.11) were the same (P = .63).ConclusionsThe SSADMF is a common source of mortality records in the United States that can be linked to real-world data sources but is known to underreport mortality rates. We find that the SSADMF provides a reliable source of all-cause mortality for a comparative study assessing the safety of peripheral vascular devices.
| S-EPMC9722978 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundStudies linking large pregnancy cohorts with mortality data can address critical questions about long-term implications of gravid health, yet relevant US data are scant. We examined the feasibility of linking the Collaborative Perinatal Project, a large multiracial U.S. cohort study of pregnant women (n = 48,197; 1959-1966), to death records.MethodsWe abstracted essential National Death Index (NDI) (1979-2016) (n = 46,428). We performed a linkage to the Social Security Administration Death Master File through 2016 (n = 46,450). Genealogists manually searched vital status in 2016 for a random sample of women (n = 1,249). We conducted agreement analyses for women with abstracted data among the three sources. As proof of concept, we calculated adjusted associations between mortality and smoking and other sociodemographic factors using Cox proportional hazards regression.ResultsWe successfully abstracted identifying information for most of the cohort (97%). National Death Index identified the greatest proportion of participants deceased (35%), followed by genealogists (31%) and Death Master File (23%). Estimates of agreement (κ [95% confidence interval]) between National Death Index and Death Master File were lower (0.52 [0.51, 0.53]) than for National Death Index and genealogist (0.66 [0.61, 0.70]). As expected, compared with nonsmokers, smoking ≥1 pack per day was associated with elevated mortality for all vital sources and was strongest for National Death Index.ConclusionsLinking this historic cohort with mortality records was feasible and agreed reasonably on vital status when compared with other data sources. Such linkage enables future examination of pregnancy conditions in relation to mortality in a diverse U.S. cohort.
| S-EPMC7042706 | biostudies-literature
Project description:IntroductionSmokers in the criminal justice system represent some of the most disadvantaged smokers in the U.S., as they have high rates of smoking (70%-80%) and are primarily uninsured, with low access to medical interventions. Few studies have examined smoking-cessation interventions in racially diverse smokers, and none have examined these characteristics among individuals supervised in the community. The purpose of this study is to determine if four sessions of standard behavioral counseling for smoking cessation would differentially aid smoking cessation for African American versus non-Hispanic white smokers under community corrections supervision.DesignAn RCT.Setting/participantsFive hundred smokers under community corrections supervision were recruited between 2009 and 2013 via flyers posted at the community corrections offices.InterventionAll participants received 12 weeks of bupropion plus brief physician advice to quit smoking. Half of the participants received four sessions of 20-30 minutes of smoking-cessation counseling following tobacco treatment guidelines, whereas half received no additional counseling.Main outcome measuresGeneralized estimating equations were used to determine factors associated with smoking abstinence across time. Analyses were conducted in 2014.ResultsThe end-of-treatment abstinence rate across groups was 9.4%, with no significant main effects indicating group differences. However, behavioral counseling had a differential effect on cessation: whites who received counseling had higher quit rates than whites who did not receive counseling. Conversely, African Americans who did not receive counseling had higher average cessation rates than African Americans who received counseling. Overall, medication-adherent African American smokers had higher abstinence rates relative to other smokers.ConclusionsRacial disparities in smoking cessation are not evident among those who are adherent to medication. More research is needed to better understand the differential effect that behavioral counseling might have on treatment outcomes between white and African American smokers under community corrections supervision.
| S-EPMC4546875 | biostudies-literature
Project description:We investigate whether autistic people's vulnerability is taken into account at each stage of the criminal justice system (CJS). Defense lawyers from 12 nations were included in the study although the sample was predominantly from the UK. Lawyers completed an online survey regarding one case in which they had defended an autistic client between January 2015 and January 2020; and on one case in which they had defended a nonautistic client charged with a similar offense, to provide a comparison group. Ninety-three lawyers (85% in the UK) reported on one autistic case, and 53 also reported on one nonautistic case. 75% of autistic clients were not given reasonable adjustments during the process. Only 43% were offered an appropriate adult during police investigations, even though they had an existing diagnosis of autism. 59% of prosecution barristers and 46% of judges said or did something during the trial that made the lawyers concerned that they did not have an adequate understanding of autism. Lawyers were 7.58 times more likely to be concerned about their autistic client's effective participation in court and were 3.83 times more likely to be concerned that their autistic clients would engage in self-harm, compared with their nonautistic clients. There is a failure to identify and address autistic peoples' disability within the CJS. There is a need for mandatory autism training for police officers and the judiciary, with a focus on identifying autism and understanding the needs of autistic people so that reasonable adjustments are offered in all cases. LAY SUMMARY: This study sought to investigate if the needs of autistic people are being overlooked by the police and other professionals within the CJS. Results show that autistic people are not always given the support they need during police questioning or in court. The experience of being involved with the police may also have a more negative impact on autistic peoples' mental health than that of nonautistic people.
| S-EPMC9314022 | biostudies-literature
Project description:BackgroundPatients with a serious mental illness often receive care that is fragmented due to reduced availability of or access to resources, and inadequate, discontinuous, and uncoordinated care across health, social services, and criminal justice organizations. This article describes the creation of a multisystem analysis that derives insights from an integrated dataset including patient access to case management services, medical services, and interactions with the criminal justice system.MethodsData were combined from electronic systems within a US mental health ecosystem that included mental health and substance abuse services, as well as data from the criminal justice system. Cox models were applied to test the associations between delivery of services and re-incarceration. Additionally, machine learning was used to train and validate a predictive model to examine effects of non-modifiable risk factors (age, past arrests, mental health diagnosis) and modifiable risk factors (outpatient, medical and case management services, and use of a jail diversion program) on re-arrest outcome.ResultsAn association was found between past arrests and admission to crisis stabilization services in this population (N = 10,307). Delivery of case management or medical services provided after release from jail was associated with a reduced risk for re-arrest. Predictive models linked non-modifiable and modifiable risk factors and outcomes and predicted the probability of re-arrests with fair accuracy (area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.67).ConclusionsBy modeling the complex interactions between risk factors, service delivery, and outcomes, systems of care might be better enabled to meet patient needs and improve outcomes.
| S-EPMC5362563 | biostudies-literature
Project description:In March-April, 2020, we communicated with a cohort of criminal justice-involved (CJI) women to see how they were navigating COVID-19, chronic illness, homelessness, and shelter-in-place orders in Oakland, Birmingham, and Kansas City. We report on conversations with N = 35 women (out of the cohort of 474 women) and our own observations from ongoing criminal justice involvement studies. Women reported barriers to protecting themselves given widespread unstable housing and complex health needs, though many tried to follow COVID-19 prevention recommendations. Women expressed dissatisfaction with the suspension of research activities, as the pandemic contributed to a heightened need for study incentives, such as cash, emotional support, and other resources. COVID-19 is illuminating disparities between those who can follow recommended actions to prevent infection and those who lack resources to do so. Concerted efforts are required to reduce inequities that put the 1.3 million U.S. women under criminal justice supervision at risk for infection and mortality.
| S-EPMC7375331 | biostudies-literature