Lynn A Stewart

Correctional Service of Canada · Research Branch

Background: Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a serious hidden health issue disproportionately affecting people who experience incarceration. Objective: We examined the association between TBI and serious disciplinary charges among men and women sentenced by the courts to terms of two or more years. Methods: The study originated in Ontario, Canada an...

Objective: To examine psychotropic medication prescription practices in federal Canadian penitentiaries. Method: 468 files were drawn from a purposive sample of thirteen Canadian federal institutions representing the five regions, different security levels, and male and female designated facilities. Information on the names of all psychotropic m...

The federal correctional agency in Canada offers victim–offender mediation services to address serious crime. The current study used survival analysis to compare revocation rates of 122 offenders who participated in facilitated face-to-face meetings to a matched sample of 122 of non-participants. Results indicated that there was no significant diff...

Purpose International studies indicate that offenders have higher rates of infectious diseases, chronic diseases, and physical disorders relative to the general population. Although social determinants of health have been found to affect the mental health of a population, less information is available regarding the impact of social determinants on...

This chapter explores the experiences of victims and survivors of violence as the targets of aggression, highlighting their unique experiences navigating the criminal justice system, advocating for recognition, and trying to heal. At the same time, the chapter points out that victims and survivors are strong and capable of personal reflection, chan...

This study examined factors related to short-term success on release in the community for 297 offenders with mental disorders who were released into the community. Only 25% of the offenders succeeded in staying in the community without a revocation in the first year after their release. In comparing the successful and unsuccessful offenders, two st...

Objective: Whether a diagnosis of a mental disorder contributes to the risk of poorer correctional outcomes is controversial. This study aimed to clarify the extent to which mental and substance use disorders individually and in combination contribute to correctional outcomes in order to determine optimal treatment and promote public safety. Meth...

Over a 13-month period, health data on all consecutive incoming Canadian federally sentenced women offenders were collected and analyzed (N = 280). The most common health conditions cited were back pain, head injury, hepatitis C virus (HCV), and asthma. Rates of chronic health problems were generally similar to those of their male offender counterp...

Background: There is recent evidence to suggest that sustaining a traumatic brain injury (TBI) increases risk of criminal justice system involvement, including incarceration. The objective of this study was to explore the association between TBI and risk of incarceration among men and women in Ontario. Methods: We identified a cohort of 1.418 mi...

Background: The Community Mental Health Initiative (CMHI) is mandated to assist offenders with serious mental disorders in their transition from institutions to the community, but this incorporates different styles of service. An important unanswered question is whether these are equivalent. Aims/hypotheses: Our aim was to compare outcomes for d...

Objective: A current estimate of prevalence rates of mental disorder among Canadian federal offenders is required to facilitate treatment delivery and service planning. Method: The study determined prevalence rates of major mental disorders among newly admitted male offenders entering the federal correctional system in Canada. Data were collecte...

Using meta-analytic approaches, we examined whether interventions for women offenders are effective in reducing recidivism, as well as whether gender-informed and gender-neutral interventions differ in their effectiveness. Across 38 effect sizes reflecting 37 studies and nearly 22,000 women offenders, women who participated in correctional interven...

Impaired cognitive function has been associated with criminal behavior. In Canada it is unknown the extent to which this disorder affects federal inmates or its impact on key correctional outcomes. In this study, 488 incoming male offenders were assessed on the Cognistat, a neuropsychological screening tool. Twenty-five percent of offenders were fo...

Purpose – A Rapid Evidence Assessment (REA) determined the effectiveness of correctional programmes for women offenders and examined features of programmes providing the strongest outcomes. The paper aims to discuss these issues. Design/methodology/approach – Electronic databases and web sites were reviewed to identify literature focused on interv...

The Generic Program Performance Measure (GPPM) was developed to assess the progress and performance of offenders participating in correctional programs. Program facilitators use the GPPM to systematically rate offenders’ skill development, attitude change, motivation level, and program participation. The present study examined the psychometric prop...

International health studies have shown that inmates have higher rates of infectious diseases, chronic diseases and psychiatric disorders relative to the general population. We conducted a systematic collection of data on chronic physical health conditions reported by newly admitted inmates in Canadian federal penitentiaries. Over a 6-month period...

This study examines the effectiveness of the Tupiq program, a culturally specific program for Inuit sex offenders that incorporates cognitive behavioural methods with traditional Inuit knowledge and culture led by Inuit healers and facilitators. Outcomes of 61 offenders who participated in the Tupiq program and were released were compared with outc...

Despite evidence that the incidence of female-to-male intimate partner violence (IPV) in the general population is as high as that of male-to-female intimate violence, until recently little attention has been devoted to understanding women perpetrators of partner violence or to the design of programs to address their violence. This study explored t...

This study presents data on male perpetrators of domestic violence (DV) in the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) using two samples: (a) a snapshot of all male offenders in CSC who had been assessed for DV (n = 15,166) and (b) a cumulative sample of male offenders in CSC from 2002-2010 who had been assessed as moderate or high risk for further DV...

The following presents the outcome of an evaluation of family violence prevention programs for male offenders. The moderate and high intensity programs were designed and implemented to conform to the Risk-Needs-Responsivity (RNR) principles. Results showed that program participation significantly reduced attitudes that supported violence against wo...

While there is now a considerable literature on the extent of mental disorder (MD) within correctional settings, there is much less research on the correctional outcomes of offenders with a mental disorder (OMDs). This study contributes to that knowledge base by comparing the profiles and institutional and community outcomes of federally-sentenced...

Results of outcome evaluations of the domestic violence (DV) programs are not encouraging. Overall, the most optimistic conclusion is that these programs have only a modest impact on reducing repeat partner violence. Recently, there are calls for DV programs to "grow up," adapt a paradigm shift, shed ideology, and determine how the maximum impact c...

Objective: To estimate the proportion of incoming female offenders in the Canadian federal correctional system requiring mental health services based on results of a Computerized Mental Health Intake Screening System (CoMHISS). Method: Consecutive admissions to the five regional women’s prisons in the Correctional Service of Canada were approached...

Numerous studies have examined the effects of cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) on criminal recidivism, and several meta-analyses have confirmed the overall effectiveness of this approach. Few studies, however, have examined the efficacy of these programs specifically with adult offenders from diverse ethnic backgrounds. The present research uses...

This article describes a community-based sexual offender management protocol combining parole supervision and relapse prevention treatment. Outcome data are presented regarding the community-based maintenance of 107 sexual offenders released to the Central Ontario District (Toronto) over an eight year period. Overall rates of 21.0% for general reof...

Adult correctional treatment is effective in reducing criminal recidivism. Meta-analyses of adult and juvenile correctional interventions demonstrate that juvenile interventions are more effective than those designed for adults. Behavioral/cognitive treatments, on average, produce larger effects than other treatments. Although meta-analysis is an i...

We studied 28 female arsonists and 28 female controls admitted to Holloway Prison over four months to examine the psychological and situational antecedents to firesetting so that the behaviour could be targeted for treatment. Over 92% of the arson group had received a psychiatric diagnosis. Both groups had similarly high rates of early deprivation...

We present a dialectical constructivist approach to study moral development. This approach is used to task-analyze complexity in moral-judgement responses. With this theory and method we examine the role of mental-attentional capacity in moral reasoning. Subjects were 120 children, ages 10 to 16. Mental capacity was measured with two visual informa...