Search results matching tag 'Mental Health'

Re: Inmate medications

deb worster — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 23:44:34 GMT

I know med calls are difficult in the long list of things that officers must do. I think there should be a balance between the belief that inmates need to be responsible and the reality that psych patients are a mixed lot. some are quite functional and likely would do okay if they miss meds but some become downright dangerous off them. I have seen officers out on disability and some unable to return to duty after dealing with an out of control person who didn't get or didn't take their psych meds. There also the reality that physically ill people who don't get or don't take their meds can have expensive medical interventions - so as a tax payer it pays to care at least about that. And lets not forget - those who have illnesses that you could contract if they don't get or don't take their meds Unfortunately there also are the officers (the exception not the rule) who do not do anything to encourage med compliance. giving psych patients enough grief that they stop the meds rather than endure the grief. Because you as officers are the front lines you are the eyes and ears for medical and psych providers. And you bet it is appreciated or at least should be. You have difficult jobs! David - proud to serve with you! Deb, a psych provider at the Concord facility NH

managing behavior in long term segregation

jemphd — Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:48:57 GMT

We in NC are looking at developing a program to address those inmates who are in long term segregation due to rule violations and who are limited in their ability to control behavior to work toward 6 month + long goals, resulting in their staying segregated. I am curious what the readers of this site may have attemtped/or found helpful in the past. Thanks for any ideas or experiences you can share.

ARCHS IN ST. LOUIS TO LAUNCH NEW MENTORING PROGRAM VIA SECOND CHANCE ACT FUNDING

ARCHS — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 15:48:28 GMT

ARCHS AWARDED $265,944 IN FEDERAL SECOND CHANCE ACT FUNDING FOR MENTORING PROGRAM ST. LOUIS, MO: Area Resources for Community and Human Services (ARCHS) has been awarded $265,944 in funding by the U.S. Department of Justice to create a pre and post prison release mentoring program to serve non-violent offenders set to be released from Missouri prisons. The money is part of the Second Chance Act Mentoring Grant Program. ARCHS was the only grant recipient in Missouri for this particular mentoring funding. The grant will fund a two-year ARCHS’ Reentry Mentoring Partnership that is expected to serve 280 offenders, age 18-35, who are scheduled for probation and/or parole from the Women’s Eastern Reception Diagnostic and Correctional Center in Vandalia, Missouri and the Missouri Eastern Correctional Center in Pacific, Missouri. It is anticipated that half of the offenders will then voluntarily enroll in the post-release phase of the mentoring partnership. ARCHS plans to partner with the Missouri Department of Corrections (DOC), Missouri Board of Probation & Parole, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Eastern Missouri (Amachi), GUIDES Family Life Center, Helping Others Maintain Stability (HOMS), Humanitri, and the Institute for Peace and Justice to implement the grant. The ARCHS’ partnership will provide prisoners with pre-release mentoring activities that include family reunification support services. Post release services include mentoring, job and soft skills training and access to mental health and substance abuse services, housing and other community supports. In addition to the grant award, ARCHS and its partners will provide an additional $106,442 of in-kind funds to support the grant’s activities. The partnership is designed to enhance the existing pre-release services provided by the DOC. ARCHS partners with the DOC on several reentry initiatives, including hosting the annual Missouri Reentry Conference and supporting the efforts of the Missouri Eastern Region Reentry Group Effort (MERRGE). “This is the second federal grant ARCHS has been awarded to address the needs of Greater St. Louis’ ex-offender population,” said Wendell E. Kimbrough, ARCHS’ CEO. “In 2007, ARCHS was awarded a $1.9 million U.S. Department of Labor grant to support ex-offender job training activities. ARCHS exceeded the grant’s goal of serving 488 ex-offenders by reaching more than 640 and placing more than 350 in jobs annually valued at more than $5.6 million. We are proud of the trust that federal funders have placed in ARCHS’ strategic management system.” ARCHS’ 350 community partners annually serve more than 100,000 area residents. ARCHS manages more than $30 million in not-for-profit funds. Learn more at stlarchs.org

1 Day Conference in Atlanta - Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (9/11/09)

Angela Dash Winfrey — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:25:03 GMT

Crisis in the Community: Understanding and Responding to the Sexual Abuse and Exploitation of Children.............SEPTEMBER 11, 2009 IN ATLANTA
TO REGISTER: http://www.mentalhealthgeorgia.com/HTML/WORKSHOP/workshop2.html With vision and action, The Attachment and Bonding Center of Atlanta continues its focus on providing mental health and emotional well-being through personal and professional development. As a result of our vision, our ABC University will host a one day themed Crisis in the Community: Understanding and Responding to the Sexual Abuse and [Commercial Sexual] Exploitation of Children and we are distinctly honored to extend to you an invitation to this event. At this September 11th event, participants will gain from national experts Dr. Sharon W. Cooper, M.D. and Detective Cathy De La Paz:
· a greater understanding of child sexual abuse including the commercial sexual exploitation of children and how our community can most effectively respond to this growing issue.
· a detail of the different aspects of child sexual exploitation and trafficking, including children victimized through pornography, prostitution, cyber-enticement, sex tourism, and human trafficking.
· information regarding the scope of the problem of child commercial sexual exploitation, its dynamics, characteristics and profile of the victim and the offender, as well as the pathway to victimization and recruitment techniques.
· knowledge of how investigative interventions of child commercial sexual exploitation cases differentiate from traditional child sexual abuse investigations, how to identify investigative challenges/issues related to these cases, and how to overcome these challenges through non-traditional proactive investigative techniques. Case examples will be utilized to illustrate where mistakes have been made and what successful investigative techniques have worked.
· a unique and rare look, "a first-hand, insider's view," of how children are victimized through prostitution from the victim's and the perpetrator's ("pimp's") perspective.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
Child advocates Child welfare professionals Defense attorneys Judges Juvenile justice professionals Law enforcement Mental health professionals Policymakers Prosecutors Social workers Therapeutic Group Home Providers
CONFERENCE PRESENTERS
Dr. Sharon Cooper Dr. Sharon Cooper, MD, FAAP, is the CEO of Developmental and Forensic Pediatrics, PA, a consulting firm that provides medical care, training, and expert witness experience in child maltreatment cases, as well as medical care for children with disabilities. She works regularly with numerous national and international investigative agencies on Internet crimes against children cases.
She holds faculty positions at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill School of Medicine at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and at the Uniformed Services University of Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland. She is also an instructor at the Army Medical Education Department Center and School at Ft. Sam Houston, Texas, where she provides multidisciplinary training in all forms of child maltreatment to health care providers, law enforcement, attorneys, judges, therapists, chaplains, and social workers.
Detective Cathy De La Paz
A 24-year veteran of the Dallas Police Department, assigned to the High Risk Victims and Trafficking Unit within the Child Exploitation Squad, Detective De La Paz specializes in conducting interviews of adolescent children and non-compliant victims who may be deceptive, avoidant and/or tentative in their disclosures. Because of this specialty, Detective De La Paz is often called upon to assist and consult on these interviews and cases, both locally and nationally. Additionally, Detective De La Paz instructs on the unique interview skills and investigative techniques needed on cases involving children who have been victimized through prostitution.
Detective Del La Paz has instructed for the Dallas Police Department Academy, the Tarrant County Regional Police Academy (Fatal Child Abuse and Neglect Program), the Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention (OJJDP,) the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC) and for various other agencies and conferences throughout the country. Detective De La Paz has also trained internationally regarding high risk youth/ prostitution interviews and investigations for law enforcement, prosecutors and NGO's from Thailand, Viet Nam, Cambodia, Laos, Singapore, China, Myranmar, and Singapore.

1 Day Conference in Atlanta - Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (9/11/09)

Angela Dash Winfrey — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 19:05:03 GMT

Mental Health Symptoms of Incarcerated Juvenile Offenders

CC Pro — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 15:25:00 GMT

A report by the UC Irvine Center for Evidence-Based Corrections notes the decreasing treatment resources available to at-risk youth has caused the juvenile justice system to become a "surrogate for mental health treatment." This report looks at the changes in "juvenile offenders' mental health symptoms over longer periods of secure confinement..." Highlights from the study are as follows:

Self-reported mental health symptoms were highest at arrival to the institution.
Patterns of mental health adjustment were variable.
Symptoms of substance abuse appeared to increase starting at the third week of incarceration.
In the domains of anger/irritability, substance abuse and somatic complaints, about 20% of youth exhibited chronically high levels of symptoms.
46% of youth reported having engaged in violent behaviors in the institution.
Youth high in symptoms of anger/irritability or substance abuse were more likely than other youth to engage in violent behaviors within the facility.

As transition to secure confinement or transfer to a different facility is one of the most stressful periods for juvenile offenders', the authors' postulate initial intake assessments may overstate the prevalence of mental health symptoms. While useful in identifying high levels of distress, additional assessment(s) at a later date can assist authorities in providing targeted interventions to youth most at-risk.

Support for incarcerated consumers

DBSA Recruitment — Fri, 17 Jul 2009 16:29:04 GMT

As the Recruitment Coordinator for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance (DBSA), I am interested in connecting with the appropriate mental health professionals in prison facilities. DBSA has been making connections throughout the country to try to start peer lead support groups in prison facilities, and has had a great response thus far. I would love to hear any of your thoughts about how to continue this project to provide more support for inmates who are living with mood disorders. Currently the first DBSA group in an incarceration facility has been very successful. Providing a common connection between inmates, while learning about living successfully with depression or bipolar, has shown great levels of progress for these consumers. Also, I am interested in partnering DBSA with recent residents who are working on their discharge recovery plan. These support groups are meant to provide a comfortable, judgment free, understanding environment, where people can connect and relate about similar experiences, as well as share in positive ways to deal with the obstacles that can arise. DBSA also works with specific groups on Peer Specialist training, a very intensive training that would allow one on one support between peers. Any and all feedback, thoughts, or interest would be much appreciated. Please respond to this thread, or contact me at startup@dbsalliance.org. Also, please check out the DBSA website for more information at www.dbsalliance.org. Thank You, Mary Mischka Dean Recruitment Coordinator Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance

Jail Healthcare Costs

jlregina — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 21:05:20 GMT

I am a correctional health care professional looking for information about real healthcare costs in jails with ADP 1500-2000 inmates. Why? I consult with a number of facilities regarding healthcare and the question, and in this day of ever increasing costs, I am frequently asked, "What is the average cost of health care in jails?" I know that there are many variables that affect each facility'ss costs--please let me know what you have found that impacts your facility's costs. Please include all healthcare costs for medical, dental, and mental health services, all on- and offisite costs, staffing, pharmaceuticals, equipment and supplies and number of inmate days (if that statistic is kept). If you know your per diem healthcare costs, I would very much appreciate that figure. While there are figures available for state corrections, there is very little available for jails--the last study was in the late 1990's. Thank you!

The Mentally Ill in Jail: Whose Problem is it Anyway?

Sandy Schilling — Wed, 10 Jun 2009 19:47:00 GMT

The National Institute of Corrections will host a live three-hour satellite videoconference, The Mentally Ill in Jail: Whose Problem is it Anyway?, on July 15, 2009. See the flyer, read more, and complete the free registration. Mental health issues affect the entire community and anyone interested in this topic is welcome to participate.

Re: New Hire (Civilian Staff) Needs Recommendations

deb worster — Sun, 17 May 2009 00:07:10 GMT

write to me back channel if you would like an article on malingering written by a forensic psychiatrist dworster@comcast.net