Case management helps prevent criminal justice recidivism for people with serious mental illness.

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to discuss how case management can decrease recidivism for people with serious mental illness (SMI) because people with SMI are at high risk for incarceration and recidivism. Design/methodology/approach Examples of successful case management models for formerly incarcerated individuals with SMI found through a secondary analysis of qualitative data and an analysis of the literature are presented. Findings Currently, no international, national, or statewide guidelines exist to ensure that formerly incarcerated individuals with SMI receive case management upon community reentry despite evidence that such services can prevent further criminal justice involvement.

Ten-year trends in the health of young children in California: 2003 to 2011-2012.

This policy brief presents 10-year trends in several key health and wellness indicators for children ages 0-5 in California. These indicators are health insurance coverage; source of medical care; dental visits; overweight-for-age; parents singing and reading to their child and going out with the child; and preschool attendance. The data are from the California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), the largest state health survey in the U.

Children's exposure to secondhand smoke: nearly one million affected in California.

Despite the steady decline of smoking rates in California, over 200,000 children under age 12 live in homes where smoking is allowed, and another 742,000 live with an adult or adolescent smoker. Significant differences in children's exposure to tobacco smoke and risk of exposure are found by race/ethnicity, geographic regions within the state and by poverty level. African-American children were found to have a significantly higher rate of exposure than other racial and ethnic groups, while children in the Northern/Sierra and San Joaquin Valley regions were at the highest risk of exposure to secondhand smoke.

The link between intimate partner violence, substance abuse and mental health in California.

This policy brief presents findings on the linkages between intimate partner violence (IPV), emotional health and substance use among adults ages 18-65 in California. Among the 3.5 million Californians who have ever been victimized by IPV as adults, over half a million report serious psychological distress (SPD) in the past year.

Adolescent preventive services: rates and disparities in preventive health topics covered during routine medical care in a California sample.

Purpose: The objective was to examine rates and disparities in preventive health topics covered during routine medical care for adolescents, using a California sample.

Methods: Utilizing 2003 California Health Interview Survey data, the sample included 2192 adolescents attending a physical exam within the past 6 months. Adolescents reported whether nine health topics: tobacco, alcohol, drugs, seatbelts, helmets, violence, exercise, nutrition, and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) were discussed during their most recent physical exam.

Questionnaire design from a cross-cultural perspective: an empirical investigation of Koreans and non-Koreans.

A persistent challenge to self-report data across racial, ethnic, or cultural groups is the inherent difficulty of attaining cross-cultural comparability of key measures. The current research study investigated the cross-cultural functioning of health-survey questions presented to four groups: (1) Koreans who were monolingual in Korean; (2) non-Korean native speakers of English; (3) bilingual Koreans interviewed in English, and (4) bilingual Koreans interviewed in Korean. This design allowed us to include those likely to be medically underserved, and to assess both linguistic and cultural barriers to collecting health survey data.

Benefits of a hospital-based peer intervention program for violently injured youth.

Background: Exposure to violence predisposes youths to future violent behavior. Breaking the cycle of violence in inner cities is the primary objective of hospital-based violence intervention and prevention programs. An evaluation was undertaken to determine if a hospital-based, peer intervention program, "Caught in the Crossfire," reduces the risk of criminal justice involvement, decreases hospitalizations from traumatic reinjury, diminishes death from intentional violent trauma, and is cost effective.

The supply and demand for guns to juveniles: Oakland's gun tracing project.

In response to Oakland, California's high level of gun violence affecting young people, the East Oakland Partnership to Reduce Juvenile Gun Violence, a citywide collaboration, was formed in 1997. In 1999, the Partnership established the Oakland Gun Tracing Project to develop evidence-based policy recommendations aimed at reducing the supply of and demand for gun acquisition among urban youth. The advocacy project involved gathering, analyzing, and using police record and gun sale/registration data to inform policy and practice.

Community-based participatory research in the California Health Interview Survey.

Introduction: The California Health Interview Survey, the largest state health survey in the United States, uses community-based participatory research principles to develop each cycle. Other large-scale health surveys rarely include participatory research approaches. Every 2 years, the California Health Interview Survey generates state and local population-based data on health insurance coverage, access to health care, chronic disease prevalence and management, health behaviors and disease prevention, and other health issues in California.