Leadership

• Gina Vincent, Ph.D. and Spencer Lawson, Ph.D., Co-Principal Investigators

Summary 

Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) is a strategy to reduce reoffending and increase community participation among young adults involved in the justice system with mental health issues. It involves assessing the individual's risk for reoffending, addressing their changeable risk factors, and providing services tailored to these needs. The strategy focuses on providing risk-reduction services and mental health services to improve community participation, prevent incarceration, and reduce legal interference. Although RNR is effective, implementing it can be challenging due to barriers across multiple sources of influence. Mental health services alone do not significantly impact reoffending, and limited availability of services can be an issue, particularly in rural areas. 

Research Questions

1. Where are current gaps in need-to-service matching?
2. What are system-, provider-, and participant-level implementation barriers and facilitators to need-to-service matching?
3. What are feasible and acceptable solutions for improving need-to-service matching?
4. How do questions 1-3 vary between rural and urban communities?

Research Activities 

1. This study uses different approaches to find ways to improve how resources are matched to the risk-needs of young adults in urban versus rural areas in two state programs. The programs are the Safe and Successful Youth Initiative in Massachusetts and Recovery Works in Indiana.
2. The project will engage with the individuals with legal involvement and mental health conditions who participate in these programs, as well as staff, to identify barriers and generate generalizable solutions.
3. The goal is to increase community involvement for individuals with legal involvement and mental health conditions by improving their access to effective services.