Dr C Connell
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drcconnell.bsky.social
Dr C Connell
@drcconnell.bsky.social
120 followers 200 following 28 posts
Senior Research Fellow @ University of Stirling - researching health outcomes and experiences of people involved in the criminal justice system. Mental health & substance use focus. Occupational therapist.

Figuring out blue sky

#JusticeHealth #Research
Posts Replies Media Videos
drcconnell.bsky.social
Thats a wrap. last conference of season & a joy to be back in #Helsingfors #Suomi 4 European Public Health #EPH2025 sharing RELEASE and networks results

10yrs ago I visited here & ❤️ Vanha Vaasa as an occupational therapist on my journey to phd

#JusticeHealth
#Finland #Helsinki
#OccupationalTherapy
November 12, 2025 at 8:20 PM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Come and see the RELEASE findings with @kjellgren.bsky.social at @addiction-ssa.org

#SSA2025
#JusticeHealth
November 6, 2025 at 1:39 PM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Joining the substance use research community at @addiction-ssa.org conference til tomorrow. Check out
@kjellgren.bsky.social poster with early RELEASE results, examining substance use related health service contact on release from prison: prescription to A&E

#JusticeHealth
@sacasrstir.bsky.social
November 6, 2025 at 7:58 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Are you an ESRC PhD student looking for an academic placement?

Work with the RELEASE dataset to understand post-imprisonment emergency service use: with me and @kjephd.bsky.social

Happy to answer Qs

www.sgsss.ac.uk/internship/c...

#JusticeHealth
@stirlingucu.bsky.social @sacasrstir.bsky.social
Justice Health: Advancing understanding of emergency and unscheduled care use among people released from prison - Scottish Graduate School of Social Science
The successful student(s) will work with their host to conduct a bespoke analysis on an interdisciplinary topic (justice and health) using data from the RELEASE study, contribute to a paper, and creat...
www.sgsss.ac.uk
October 30, 2025 at 11:19 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Congrats to fabulous RELEASE colleague @jsavinc.bsky.social for being an outstanding collaborator - nominated for the Stirling Uni Research Culture Awards
October 29, 2025 at 10:42 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
RELEASE protocol paper is out ijpds.org/article/view...

This paper, led by @kjellgren.bsky.social describes how we created the RELEASE dataset, what is in it, and plans for analysis

Results coming soon 1/3

#JusticeHealth
@sacasrstir.bsky.social @stirunicriminology.bsky.social
Access to services for mental ill-health and substance use among people released from prison in Scotland (RELEASE): Retrospective observational cohort study protocol | International Journal ...
ijpds.org
October 29, 2025 at 9:22 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Today I’m up twice at #WCP2025

First talking about the importance of relational contexts for mental health help-seeking among people in contact with the criminal justice system

Then cross programme reflections on involving this population in research

#JusticeHealth
@sacasrstir.bsky.social
October 7, 2025 at 6:25 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
The world psychiatric association picks its spots - last event I was at nearly 10 years ago fresh into PhD life, and now beautiful Praha, Česko

#WCP2025
October 5, 2025 at 2:31 PM
drcconnell.bsky.social
The first of our 2 reviews into mandatory substance use treatment is out

We examined perceptions of health and wellbeing impacts, and the barriers and facilitators for implementing such interventions... 1/2

rdcu.be/eI38A

#JusticeHealth
@sacasrstir.bsky.social @stirunicriminology.bsky.social
Understanding the health and well-being impacts and implementation barriers and facilitators of legally-mandated non-custodial drug and alcohol treatment for justice-involved adults: a qualitative evidence synthesis
rdcu.be
October 3, 2025 at 9:37 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Joining my first @adruk2025.bsky.social conference and looking forward to hearing so many linked data papers.

@kjellgren.bsky.social and @jsavinc.bsky.social will share preliminary results from RELEASE- examining the healthcare contacts between different people released from prison.
#JusticeHealth
adruk2025.bsky.social adruk2025.bsky.social @adruk2025.bsky.social · Sep 17
It’s day one of #ADRUKConf25, after a fantastic day of pre-conference workshops yesterday (great to have seen so many of you already there).

First up, we have a welcome from Dr Emma Gordon, Director of ADR UK.

Head to the auditoriums so you don’t miss the start! @adrwales.bsky.social
September 17, 2025 at 8:37 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Hear some preliminary findings from the RELEASE study at ADR-UK next week - post-imprisonment mental health and substance use related healthcare contacts

Abstract -> ijpds.org/article/view...

led by @jsavinc.bsky.social @kjellgren.bsky.social

@adruk2025.bsky.social
#JusticeHealth
#LinkedData
RELEASE: Identifying post-release service use disparities from a novel data-linkage study into mental health and substance use service utilisation by people released from Scottish prisons | ...
ijpds.org
September 9, 2025 at 9:25 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Great to be invited by the Criminal Justice Committee to share academic alongside frontline evidence. Excellent to hear the MSPs asking insightful questions to try and improve things for people in and leaving custody in Scotland

#JusticeHealth
@scotparl.bsky.social
stirunicriminology.bsky.social Stirling Criminology @stirunicriminology.bsky.social · Sep 1
Dr Catriona Connell will be giving evidence to Scottish Parliament Criminal Justice Committee on Wednesday. It's part of their Inquiry into harm caused by substance misuse in Scottish prisons. See 🔗 for details.

@drcconnell.bsky.social @sacasrstir.bsky.social

🔗
www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-...
Photo of a Victorian-era prison with a barbed wire fence in the foreground
September 3, 2025 at 7:55 PM
drcconnell.bsky.social
2nd & 3rd yr SGSSS PhD students can come on academic placement with me & @kjellgren.bsky.social at @sacasrstir.bsky.social

Work with the RELEASE dataset examining health service contacts on release from prison

If eligible you'll have details in your inbox from
@sgsss.bsky.social

#JusticeHealth
September 2, 2025 at 2:20 PM
Reposted by Dr C Connell
stirunicriminology.bsky.social
Dr Catriona Connell will be giving evidence to Scottish Parliament Criminal Justice Committee on Wednesday. It's part of their Inquiry into harm caused by substance misuse in Scottish prisons. See 🔗 for details.

@drcconnell.bsky.social @sacasrstir.bsky.social

🔗
www.parliament.scot/chamber-and-...
Photo of a Victorian-era prison with a barbed wire fence in the foreground
September 1, 2025 at 11:53 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
**important findings on universal mental well-being/health interventions in schools**
V important to measure harms: we should challenge introducing this type of programme - esp if reducing provision of targeted evidence based provision for CYP in need

www.nationalelfservice.net/populations-...
School mental health trials show mixed results and unexpected harms
The Education for Wellbeing programme, funded by the Department for Education, was one of England’s largest school-based mental health research initiatives.
www.nationalelfservice.net
July 20, 2025 at 6:01 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Great early morning panel talking about relational influences and the wider social context around people in contact with the justice system.

I think I’m smiling to stop from melting in the Portsmouth heat
July 3, 2025 at 9:46 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Today I’m sharing more from our #justicehealth research at the British Soc Criminology Conference
- me and @drdavegriffiths.bsky.social developed a typology of the social networks of people in contact with the justice system, and explore how it influences behaviour

Come say hi - 830 LT3
#bsc2025
July 3, 2025 at 6:47 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
On behalf of a fab team - I’ll be talking about headline results from our justice health research programmes biggest study so far at #bsc2025 today

Shout out to @kjellgren.bsky.social @jsavinc.bsky.social and all the colleagues from Scotland involved 🙌🏻
drcconnell.bsky.social Dr C Connell @drcconnell.bsky.social · Jul 2
Today I’m sharing results from RELEASE at the British Society of Criminology Conference
- focusing on access to services for mental health and substance use & comparing people released from prison to similar people who hadn't been in prison

Come say hi - 2.10pm Portland

#bsc2025 #justicehealth
July 2, 2025 at 7:20 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Today I’m sharing results from RELEASE at the British Society of Criminology Conference
- focusing on access to services for mental health and substance use & comparing people released from prison to similar people who hadn't been in prison

Come say hi - 2.10pm Portland

#bsc2025 #justicehealth
July 2, 2025 at 7:15 AM
Reposted by Dr C Connell
drdavegriffiths.bsky.social
New paper out on 'Relational influences on help-seeking for mental health and substance use problems among people experiencing social marginalisation: a scoping review' with @drcconnell.bsky.social @kjellgren.bsky.social & Jessica Greenhalgh
1/4
bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/6...
Relational influences on help-seeking for mental health and substance use problems among people experiencing social marginalisation: a scoping review
Objectives Understand the relational influences on help-seeking for mental health and substance use problems among people experiencing social marginalisation, with a focus on research applying social ...
bmjopen.bmj.com
June 25, 2025 at 4:08 PM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Pleased our paper is out today: relational influences on help-seeking for mental health and substance use among marginalised people bmjopen.bmj.com/content/15/6/e090349.full

We present follow on research with justice-involved ppl @ DRNS conference later @drnscot.bsky.social

Team ⬇️

#JusticeHealth
June 5, 2025 at 9:22 AM
Reposted by Dr C Connell
stirunicriminology.bsky.social
A team led by Dr Wendy Masterton are hosting an information sharing webinar on the findings of #research exploring nature-based programmes for people with poor mental health and experience of substance dependence. They'll present 3 new resources.

11am, 28 May.
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/nature-bas...
Nature-based programmes for mental health and drug/alcohol problems
Eventbrite - Nature-based programmes for mental health and drug/alcohol problems - Wednesday, May 28, 2025 - Find event and ticket information.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
May 23, 2025 at 10:10 AM
drcconnell.bsky.social
Sentencing Review (England & Wales) calls for increased use of mandatory substance use treatment

Our research shows we need better data collection & quality research to understand effects of these sentences on health

Results soon. Led by Prof France
#justicehealth #substanceuse
#sentencingreview
May 22, 2025 at 9:57 PM
Reposted by Dr C Connell
stirunicriminology.bsky.social
Dr Richard Kjellgren @kjellgren.bsky.social speaking on the RELEASE research in Scotland which seeks to understand mental health and substance use-related services after release from prison. Really interesting and concerning data.
@sacasrstir.bsky.social @drcconnell.bsky.social #Criminology
[🧵/4]
May 13, 2025 at 1:07 PM
Reposted by Dr C Connell
thesccjr.bsky.social
👋 Janine Aitken, University of Stirling, gives us an update on the RELEASE project in our latest SCCJR blog.

The project focuses on understanding how individuals access health services for mental health and substance use following their release from prison.

👉 www.sccjr.ac.uk/news_item/re...
March 17, 2025 at 11:55 AM