Mental Health

The Council of State Governments recently published a brief titled Addressing Misconceptions about Mental Health and Violence. This brief discusses the misconceptions that can lead to a perception that people with mental illness are more likely to be violent. Through understanding and dispelling these misconceptions, criminal justice professionals can further their goals of protecting public safety.

Peer Recovery Support Specialists (PRSSs) working in treatment courts are people with lived experience of behavioral health disorders and criminal justice involvement who are key members of the clinical team serving those participating in drug court and mental health court programs.

This webinar covers strategies for how to engage PRSSs in adult treatment courts to support people with substance use disorders and co-occurring mental disorders. Topics covered will include:

Join the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration GAINS Center for their upcoming “Implementing a Peer Mentor Program: Strategies for Engaging Peer Recovery Support Specialists (PRSSs) in Adult Treatment Court” webinar on August 31, 2020 at 12:30 p.m. ET.

This webinar covers the fundamentals of telehealth and the experience of implementing telehealth in a correctional setting to support and facilitate physical health, mental health, and substance use treatment.

Please join the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum for a presentation of the preliminary numbers of U.S. law enforcement fatalities from January–June 2020 as recorded by the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum. Reviewing and discussing this data will be a panel of law enforcement and officer safety and wellness experts including a pair of Destination Zero National Officer Safety and Wellness winners, a medical doctor discussing physical health and well-being, and a psychologist addressing mental health issues in policing.

Join the National Law Enforcement Memorial and Museum for their upcoming “Mid-Year Law Enforcement Fatalities Report: Keeping Officers’ Names off the Wall” webinar on July 14, 2020 at 1:00 p.m. ET. During this webinar, a panel of law enforcement, officer safety, wellness, medical, and mental health experts will review and discuss the preliminary numbers of law enforcement fatalities from January–June 2020 in the United States.

Substance use disorders are most often accompanied by a history of trauma and mental health disorders. How can we promote recovery in all areas, especially when engaging with and treating youth and young adults?

Peer support specialists offer unique skills that can drastically enhance services using their lived experience to support those with mental health and substance use conditions. Their shared experiences can help to bridge interpersonal and instrumental barriers to accomplishing the health and wellness goals of those in recovery.

Counties across the country have committed to creating data-driven, systems-level plans to reduce the number of people with mental illnesses in their jails. As part of these efforts, many communities are focusing on the small number of people who frequently cycle in and out of emergency rooms, shelters, crisis services, and the justice system, a population that disproportionately contributes to the high utilization of these resources.

People living with mental illnesses and intellectual and developmental disabilities (I/DD) are disproportionately represented in contacts with police. These interactions can lead to stressful and dangerous conditions for everyone involved. This webinar will provide an in-depth look at the challenges many communities face and will share real-world experiences in developing Police-Mental Health Collaboration (PMHC) programs to address them.