VOLUME 44, NUMBER 2 the journal of the American Probation and Parole Association WWW.APP A-NET.ORG 4 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 44, NUMBER 2 president’s message TIM HARDY PRESIDENT The theme of this edition of Perspectives is addressing mental health issues through effective supervision. When I first thought about this, I immediately thought of all the barriers and obstacles that get in the way of effective supervision. However, the more I considered the topic, the more I thought of ways we have evolved to remain effective. I have witnessed this evolution as I have been employed by the Yuma County Juvenile Court since 1991, and I have served as the Director of the Court for the past 23 years. As many of you who may work for a small or medium sized agency know, the first thing that comes to mind when addressing mental health issues with youth is the lack of mental health treatment agencies available and/ or accessible to the youth we serve. You may also have noticed the prevalence of treatment agency staff turnover as well as treatment agency closures. Regardless of this, probation personnel must remain the foundation of ensuring our youth receive proper mental health services. This begins with making sure the child gets the proper evaluation or assessment to determine if treatment is necessary and, if so, which treatments will be most effective. We also need to remain involved by participating in compassion-focused therapy or other professional staffings. We have learned that services may be available but oftentimes, we must be diligent and look beyond our own community. Over the past few years, we have leveraged new technology and employed innovative ways of delivering treatment services, such as utilizing tele- medicine. This can serve as a viable alternative solution, providing the judge believes in the concept. The bottom line is, if we are to have effective supervision, we must remain involved and continue to be that link between the treatment agency, the youth and their family. 5 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION American Probation and Parole Association 21 800.622.1644 | Evidence-Based Curricula & Certification Training from NCTI in Partnership with APPA National Curriculum & Training Institute®, Inc. | 319 E. McDowell Road, Ste. 200 Phoenix, AZ 85004 6 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 44, NUMBER 2 editor’s notes There is little question that working with individuals diagnosed with mental health (MH) conditions presents unique challenges, and this is particularly true when it comes to those who are justice-involved. Practitioners working in the field can readily attest to the complexity of supervising those who do not suffer from mental health issues. The complexity multiplies when those under our charge suffer from mental illness, and it further multiplies if that mental illness results in serious disruption of basic life skills. JASON STAUFFER DIVISION DIRECTOR PENNSYLVANIA DEPT. OF CORRECTIONS/BOARD OF PROBATION AND PAROLE KIMBERLY R. KRAS ASSISTANT PROFESSOR SCHOOL OF CRIMINOLOGY AND JUSTICE STUDIES UNIV. OF MASSACHUSETTS, LOWELL7 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATION editorial committee JASON STAUFFER Assessment and Classification Services Chief Bureau of Treatment Services Pennsylvania Department of Corrections 1920 Technology Parkway Mechanicsburg, PA 17050 Phone: (717) 361-4300 KIMBERLY R. KRAS, PH.D. San Diego State University Department of Criminal Justice School of Public Affairs 5500 Campanile Drive San Diego, CA 92182 Phone: (619) 594-1158 ARTHUR J. LURIGIO, PH.D. Dept. of Criminal Justice Loyola University of Chicago 820 N. Michigan Avenue Chicago, IL 60611 Phone: (312) 915-7564 SUSAN V. BURKE SUSAN BLACKBURN Juvenile Court Consultant PA Juvenile Court Judges Commission 1871 Old Main Drive Shippensburg, PA 17257-2299 Phone: (717) 277-1411 JASON DUDISH-POULSEN, PH.D. Executive Assistant to the Director Cook County Social Services Department 2650 South California, 9th Floor Chicago, IL 60612 Phone: (773) 674-6041 The prevalence and unique needs of the justice- involved MH population make it a highly relevant topic. Despite studies showing that mental health, in and of itself, is not significantly correlated with reoffending, it remains critically important for community correction practitioners to identify and interact with mental health concerns more effectively. It takes a caring and highly skilled corrections practitioner to effectively assist those suffering from mental health limitations with their individual journeys toward change. We recognize mental health as a very important consideration in the Risk-Needs-Responsivity equation – one that if appropriately addressed, will improve the effectiveness of risk reduction efforts for individuals suffering from mental illness and thereby help us to accomplish our goal of protecting the public through reduced recidivism. With this context in mind, we are pleased to present this issue of Perspectives devoted to research and best practices to manage the justice-involved mental health population. Jennifer Eno Louden, Rebekah Adair, and Jennifer Skeem contribute an article dispelling the “risk myth,” as well as present other myth busters about the justice-involved MH population. They provide a comprehensive overview of the research about justice-involved individuals with mental health disorders and warn against the folly of buying-in to the myths at the expense of applying evidence- based practices while supervising this population. The issue of mental health rightfully expands beyond the corrections element of the criminal justice population. The Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) was created as a means to have an appropriate criminal justice response to an individual with a mental health issue at every single intercept in the justice system. The model actually begins before police are called and addresses every intercept through community supervision. Matthew Robbins, 8 PERSPECTIVES VOLUME 44, NUMBER 2 editor’s notes of Policy Research Associates, provides us with an overview of SIM with emphasis on the role of community corrections in the process. Because of the important responsivity considerations of the justice-involved MH populations, community supervision cannot be business as usual. To this end, two collaborative contributions by authors from the University of North Carolina, Boston University, and the North Carolina Department of Public Safety provide our readers with an insightful look at an innovative and research-based model of supervising this population which emphasizes applying clinical case consultation principles. In the first article, the authors present a case study of how one jurisdiction implemented a clinical case conferencing model to attend to the needs of its MH clients. In the second article, the importance of relying on implementation science to advance our use of specialized MH supervision is outlined, reminding us that its not just the “what,” but also the “how” when understanding such a complex caseload. Whether or not one regularly works with clients with mental health concerns, we believe it is important for responsible corrections practitioners to be knowledgeable about best practices for dealing with these issues. As you review this issue of Perspectives, we hope that our content accomplishes this objective. Because of the important responsivity considerations of the justice- involved MH populations, community supervision cannot be business as usual.9 AMERICAN PROBATION AND PAROLE ASSOCIATIONNext >