Correctional Mental Health

4 Hours | 4 CEs

This on-demand professional training program on Correctional Mental Health is presented by Virginia Barber-Rioja, Ph.D., and Ashley Batastini, Ph.D.

The U.S. incarcerates far more people than any other country in the world. The incarcerated population is overrepresented by people of color, LGBTQ persons, and people with extensive behavioral health needs, including mental health, substance use, and trauma-related disorders. Specifically, individuals with mental illness account for a significantly large proportion of those incarcerated, making jails the largest psychiatric treatment facilities in the country.

The U.S. correctional system provides plenty of opportunities for mental health professionals to contribute their science as clinicians, researchers, and policy advocates. Adequate mental health interventions are essential to prevent suicide and violence, mitigate stress, and overall increase the chances of rehabilitation and recovery. However, the delivery of mental health services in correctional settings is challenging, and resources are often limited. Furthermore, even though mental health practice and research in correctional settings require specialized knowledge, correctional clinicians, administrators, and scholars have few resources to guide their practice.

This program provides an overview of the practice of correctional mental health. The program starts with an overview of the U.S. The correctional system, including the difference between jails and prisons and different systems of incarceration (e.g., state, federal, immigration, military). The program reviews the different competencies required for clinical practice and research in jails and prisons, including screening and assessment, treatment, management of suicidal and violent behaviors, and ethical issues and professional values. This program is primarily based on didactic content. However, for selected topics, the presenters incorporate case studies.