Citation

Lamberti JS, Weisman RL, Cerulli C, Williams GC, Jacobowitz DB, Mueser KT, Marks PD, Strawderman RL, Harrington D, Lamberti TA, Caine ED. Psychiatr. Serv. 2017; 68(10): 1016-1024.

Affiliation

Dr. Lamberti, Dr. Weisman, Dr. Cerulli, Mr. Jacobowitz, and Dr. Caine are with the Department of Psychiatry, Dr. Williams is with the Department of Medicine and the Department of Clinical and Social Sciences in Psychology, Dr. Strawderman and Mr. Harrington are with the Department of Biostatistics and Computational Biology, and Ms. Lamberti is with the School of Nursing, all at the University of Rochester Medical Center, Rochester, New York. Dr. Mueser is with the Center for Psychiatric Rehabilitation, Boston University, Boston. Judge Marks (ret.) is with the Monroe County Courts, Rochester, New York.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2017, American Psychiatric Association)

DOI

10.1176/appi.ps.201600329

PMID

28566028

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: Forensic assertive community treatment (FACT) is an adaptation of the assertive community treatment model and is designed to serve justice-involved adults with serious mental illness. This study compared the effectiveness of a standardized FACT model and enhanced treatment as usual in reducing jail and hospital use and in promoting engagement in outpatient mental health services.

METHODS: Seventy adults with psychotic disorders who were arrested for misdemeanor crimes and who were eligible for conditional discharge were recruited from the Monroe County, New York, court system. Participants were randomly assigned to receive either FACT (N=35) or enhanced treatment as usual (N=35) for one year. Criminal justice and mental health service utilization outcomes were measured by using state and county databases.

RESULTS: Forty-nine participants (70%) completed the full one-year intervention period. Nineteen (27%) were removed early by judicial order, one was removed by county health authorities, and one died of a medical illness. Intent-to-treat analysis for all 70 participants showed that those receiving the FACT intervention had fewer mean±SD convictions (.4±.7 versus.9±1.3, p=.023), fewer mean days in jail (21.5±25.9 versus 43.5±59.2, p=.025), fewer mean days in the hospital (4.4±15.1 versus 23.8±64.2, p=.025), and more mean days in outpatient mental health treatment (305.5±92.1 versus 169.4±139.6, p<.001) compared with participants who received treatment as usual.

CONCLUSIONS: The Rochester FACT model was associated with fewer convictions for new crimes, less time in jail and hospitals, and more time in outpatient treatment among justice-involved adults with psychotic disorders compared with treatment as usual.

Language: en

Keywords

Assertive community treatment, Difficult patients, Law & alcohol/drug abuse, Research/service delivery; psychiatry, Mental illness &