Cognitive behavioral interventions for mentally ill and disabled offenders

Skills Training for Prison Inmates with Severe Mental Illness: Spread the Word Sally Joy MacKain, University of North Carolina Wilmington Despite an explosion in recent years in the numbers of incarcerated offenders with severe, persistent mental illness (SPMI), few correctional facilities provide empirically supported behavioral training in illness or medication management. In fact, little is known about the specific nature of mental health services provided to SPMI inmates, beyond assignments to special housing and prescription medications. Several notable examples in the psychology and criminal justice literature highlight the importance of providing intensive skills training, including programs for North Carolina, California, and Washington inmates. Demonstrated clinical outcomes such as reduced need for hospitalization and decreases in disciplinary infractions and segregations argue for the widespread dissemination of behavioral treatment programs that target illness management skills in this population. But these cost-effective programs are being terminated before the research is published and disseminated. Psychologists are in the best position to educate policy makers and advocate for implementation of best practices—especially as they can save money in the long and short run.

Cognitive behavioral interventions for mentally ill and disabled offenders Presentation