Summary: | This study explored the gendered effect of substance abuse and mental health issues on the pathways to criminal convictions with a criminal population in the community setting. The data was retrieved through a file review of a sample of 48 female and 42 male offenders who received crisis care during a one-year period, at a community corrections agency in a medium-sized urban community in Ontario. The data collected was based upon factors derived from the LSI-R (Andrews & Bonta, 1995) and the Women’s Supplemental Risk/Needs Assessment (Van Voorhis, Wright, Salisbury & Bauman, 2010). Results of the present study revealed gender differences with respect to exit disposition, nature of the offense, psychotropic medications, diagnoses, mental health symptoms, substance use and risk factors. It is hoped that information gathered in this study can be utilized to highlight the complex issues offenders face during their reintegration into society; specifically, the multitude of mental health and substance dependence issues that exist in the lives of offenders
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