Incarcerated Individuals

During this webinar, attendees will learn how jail facilities can use the Telehealth Implementation Support Tool to understand the various protocols, policies, technologies, and types of staff that will need to be in place to facilitate the implementation of telehealth.

The "COVID-19: Managing the Stress of Uncertainty by Taking Care of You" webinar will help policy makers and all disciplines of correctional staff provide training and technical assistance on effective management of employees and subsequent related stressors that can be caused by pandemic-type occurrences. This live webinar will also be made available on demand on the American Correctional Association's resource center to the public and individuals who were not able to access the live event.

Through These Doors (the domestic violence resource center in Cumberland County, Maine) and Maine Pre-Trial Services were awarded a prestigious grant from the MacArthur Foundation in October 2018 to improve collaboration between the two organizations to reach women who are incarcerated identifying as victims/survivors of domestic and sexual violence. This pilot project, Project Safe Release, is one of the first nationally to partner victim advocacy services and pre-trial services.

As criminal justice agencies grapple with the impacts of the opioid epidemic, an increasing number of correctional facilities are using medication-assisted treatment (MAT) in order to initiate or maintain treatment among individuals experiencing opioid use disorders. Despite the potential for MAT to reduce recidivism and overdose fatalities, many jails and prisons are reluctant to allow individuals to be on MAT medications due to diversion concerns.

Jurisdictions across the country face challenges in developing case plans that balance criminogenic and behavioral health needs. In response, The Council of State Governments Justice Center developed the web-based Collaborative Comprehensive Case Plans tool, which builds upon Adults with Behavioral Health Needs under Correctional Supervision, a systems-planning framework for prioritizing supervision and treatment services.

For the overwhelming majority of people in federal and state prisons who will eventually reenter the community, finding employment plays a critical role in preventing recidivism. That said, it is not strictly job placement services that can make the difference between reincarceration and successful reentry; ensuring people who are returning to communities from incarceration have the skills to not only find, but also retain, jobs is also key.

Event description:

Peer recovery support services (PRSS) are increasingly being offered across diverse criminal justice settings to address opioid abuse and achieve positive outcomes. Peer specialists use their lived experience of addiction, criminal justice involvement, and recovery to assist others on their path to recovery. PRSS in jail settings offers a unique opportunity to address the needs of individuals with opioid use disorder while they are incarcerated and upon reentry.