Supervision of Sex Offenders with Serious Mental Illness: Are We Seeing the Whole Picture?

SESSION INFO

Tuesday, August 20, 2019
8:30 AM - 10:00 AM
Session Type: Workshop

This session will demonstrate some of the risks and needs of a specialized population--individuals convicted of sexual offenses and diagnosed with a serious mental illness. Workshop participants will hear about the role of probation in supervising this population and the interagency collaboration that must occur to effectively enforce the containment model utilized by probation in monitoring mentally ill sex offenders. They will learn about the various organizations that may be involved, the roles they can play, and their limitations about supervision and treatment delivery. An overview of specialized caseloads and specialty courts will be included to demonstrate how to enforce conditions of probation with a focus on evidence-based practices and the assessments utilized to best maximize community safety without perpetuating the large population of incarcerated offenders with mental illness.

SESSION PRESENTERS

Enrique Garcia
Surveillance Officer, Maricopa County Adult Probation


Enrique Garcia received his B.S. in Justice Studies from Arizona State University. He began his career in Maricopa County Juvenile Detention in 2001 where he worked with high risk youth in a detention center. In January of 2005, he transferred to Maricopa County Adult Probation as a probation officer with his first assignment being in the Domestic Violence Unit. In 2008, he changed roles and became a surveillance officer with the Intensive Probation Supervision unit. In January of 2011, he transferred to the sex offender division. In June of 2014, he began supervising Seriously Mentally Ill sex offenders where he remains at the present time. Officer Garcia presented at the APPA 2015 Winter Training Institute in Tampa, FL and the APPA 2015 Summer Training Institute in Los Angeles, CA.


Christina Gavina
Adult Surveillance Officer, Maricopa County Adult Probation


Christina Gavina received her B.S. in psychology from Arizona State University. She began her career working with the Seriously Mental Ill in 2001 as a supportive case manager then promoted to rehabilitation specialist in 2005 where she assisted the Seriously Mental Ill population explore and obtain vocational goals. In 2006,she was promoted to work on an Assertive Community Treatment Team as the Independent Living Specialist then changed roles in 2008 to Employment Specialist where she provided intensive outpatient vocational, clinical and crisis services. In February 2018, she then began her career with the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department where she accepted the position as a Surveillance officer on a standard sex offender case load. She then transferred to a Seriously Mental Ill sex offender case load as the surveillance officer in August 2018 where she is presently.


Ellen Loftis
Adult Probation Officer, Maricopa County Adult Probation


Ellen received her B.S. in Criminal Justice from Northern Michigan University. She began working with Maricopa County Adult Probation in 2016 working as a standard probation officer. In April 2018, she transferred to the Seriously Mentally Ill- Sex Offender caseload where she remains at the present time.


Tatiana Smith
Adult Probation Officer, Maricopa County Adult Probation


Tatiana Smith received a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Arizona. She also has a Master of Public Health degree from Grand Canyon University. Tatiana began her career with the Maricopa County Adult Probation Department in December 2015, as a probation officer. She transferred from a standard caseload to supervising a Seriously Mentally Ill (SMI) sex offender caseload in September 2017 and remains there today.