Abstract
Individuals with severe mental illness (SMI) make up a disproportionate percentage of justice-involved populations. As a result, there has been an increased focus among, lawmakers, law enforcement, and clinicians on improving the quality of interactions between individuals with SMI and the criminal justice system, as well as developing more effective treatments and interventions for justice-involved individuals with SMI. This chapter touches upon some of the current established practices before examining new and promising directions in the treatment of justice-involved individuals with SMI. Following the framework of the Sequential Intercept Model, established and promising interventions are discussed at each of the following key intercepts: (1) initial contact with law enforcement and emergency services; (2) initial hearings and initial detention; (3) court and jails; (4) reentry into the community from jails, prisons, and hospitals; and (5) community corrections and community support services. Some of the notable emerging practices addressed within this chapter include crisis intervention teams, co-response models, specialty courts, specialized treatment units within jails, and forensic assertive community treatment programs (ACT).
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Andrew, S. (2020). This town of 170,000 replaced some cops with medics and mental health workers. It’s worked for over 30 years. CNN.com. Retrieved from https://www.cnn.com/2020/07/05/us/cahoots-replace-police-mental-health-trnd/index.html
Angell, B., Matthews, E., Barrenger, S., Watson, A. C., & Draine, J. (2014). Engagement processes in model programs for community reentry from prison for people with serious mental illness. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 37(5), 490–500. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2014.02.022
Arnold, S. (2019). A meta-analysis of mental health courts: State of the research and recommendations (Publication number 13903275) (Doctoral dissertation, Drexel University). ProQuest Dissertation Publishing.
Beach, C., Dykema, L. R., Appelbaum, P. S., Deng, L., Leckman-Westin, E., Manuel, J. I., McReynolds, L., & Finnerty, M. T. (2013). Forensic and nonforensic clients in assertive community treatment: A longitudinal study. Psychiatric Services, 64(5), 437–444. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201200170
Bond, G. R., Drake, R. E., Mueser, K. T., & Latimer, E. (2001). Assertive community treatment for people with severe mental illness. Disease Management and Health Outcomes, 9(3), 141–159. https://doi.org/10.2165/00115677-200109030-00003
Bonfire, N., Wilson, A. B., & Munetz, M. (2020). Meeting the needs of justice-involved people with serious mental illness within community behavioral health systems. Psychiatric Services, 71(4), 355–363. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201900453
Burns, B. J. (2001). A critique of the effectiveness of assertive community treatment. Psychiatric Services, 52, 1394–1395. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.52.10.1394-a
Ceranoglu, T. A. (2010). Video games in psychotherapy. Review of General Psychology, 14(2), 141–146. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019439
Compton, M. T., Anderson, S., Broussard, B., Ellis, S., Halpern, B., Pauselli, L., O’Neal, M., Druss, B. G., & Johnson, M. (2017b). A potential new form of jail diversion and reconnection to mental health services: II. Demonstration of feasibility. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 35(5–6), 492–500. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2319
Compton, M. T., Halpern, B., Broussard, B., Anderson, S., Smith, K., Ellis, S., Griffin, K., Pauselli, L., & Myers, N. A. (2017a). A potential new form of jail diversion and reconnection to mental health services: I. Stakeholders’ views on acceptability. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 35(5–6), 480–491. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2320
Cotton, D., & Coleman, T. G. (2017). The evolution of police interactions with people with mental health problems: The third generation (strategic) approach. In C. L. Mitchell & E. H. Dorian (Eds.), Police psychology and its growing impact on modern law enforcement (pp. 252–273). IGI Global. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0813-7.ch013
Cukor, J., Spitalnick, J., Difede, J. A., Rizzo, A., & Rothbaum, B. O. (2009). Emerging treatments for PTSD. Clinical Psychology Review, 29(8), 715–726. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2009.09.001
DeLuca, J. S., O’Connor, L. K., & Yanos, P. T. (2018). Assertive community treatment with people with combined mental illness and criminal justice involvement. In E. L. Jeglic & C. Calkins (Eds.), New frontiers in offender treatment (pp. 227–249). Springer.
Einat, T., & Einat, A. (2008). Learning disabilities and delinquency: A study of Israeli prison inmates. International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, 52(4), 416–434. https://doi.org/10.1177/0306624X07307352
Ellis, H., & Alexander, V. (2017). The mentally ill in jail: Contemporary clinical and practice perspectives for psychiatric-mental health nursing. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 31(2), 217–222. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2016.09.013
Eme, R. F. (2009). Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and correctional health care. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 15(1), 5–18. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078345808326617
Fazel, S., Hayes, A. J., Bartellas, K., Clerici, M., & Trestman, R. (2016). Mental health of prisoners: Prevalence, adverse outcomes, and interventions. The Lancet Psychiatry, 3(9), 871–881. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2215-0366(16)30142-0
Fisher, W. H., Silver, E., & Wolff, N. (2006). Beyond criminalization: Toward a criminologically informed framework for mental health policy and services research. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 33(5), 544–557. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-006-0072-0
Fontanarosa, J., Uhl, S., Oyesanmi, O., & Schoelles, K. M. (2013). Interventions for adult offenders with serious mental illness. Comparative Effectiveness Review, 121. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK158915/pdf/Bookshelf_NBK158915.pdf
Ford, E. B., Silverman, K. D., Solimo, A., Leung, Y. J., Smith, A. M., Bell, C. J., & Katyal, M. (2020). Clinical outcomes of specialized treatment units for patients with serious mental illness in the New York City jail system. Psychiatric Services, 71(6), 547–554. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201900405
Forrester, A., Till, A., Simpson, A., & Shaw, J. (2018). Mental illness and the provision of mental health services in prisons. British Medical Bulletin, 127(1), 101–109. https://doi.org/10.1093/bmb/ldy027
Fox, J., Arena, D., & Bailenson, J. N. (2009). Virtual reality: A survival guide for the social scientist. Journal of Media Psychology, 21(3), 95–113. https://doi.org/10.1027/1864-1105.21.3.95
Gordon, S. (2018). About a revolution: Toward integrated treatment in drug and mental health courts. NCL Review, 97, 355–394. Retrieved from https://scholars.law.unlv.edu/facpub/1179/
Hailemariam, M., Weinstock, L. M., & Johnson, J. E. (2020). Peer navigation for individuals with serious mental illness leaving jail: A randomized trial study protocol. Pilot and Feasibility Studies, 6, 114. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40814-020-00659-1
Hopkin, G., Evans-Lacko, S., Forrester, A., Shaw, J., & Thornicroft, G. (2018). Interventions at the transition from prison to the community for prisoners with mental illness: A systematic review. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 45(4), 623–634. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-018-0848-z
Jakobowitz, S., Bebbington, P., McKenzie, N., Iveson, R., Duffield, G., Kerr, M., & Killaspy, H. (2017). Assessing needs for psychiatric treatment in prisoners: 2. Met and unmet need. Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology, 52(2), 231–240. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00127-016-1313-5
Kane, E., Evans, E., & Shokraneh, F. (2018). Effectiveness of current policing related mental health interventions: A systematic review. Criminal Behaviour and Mental Health, 28(2), 108–119. https://doi.org/10.1002/cbm.2058
Karberg, J., & James, D. (2005). Substance dependence, abuse, and treatment of jail inmates, 2002. U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. Retrieved from https://www.bjs.gov/content/pub/pdf/sdatji02.pdf
Kesten, K. L., Leavitt-Smith, E., Rau, D. R., Shelton, D., Zhang, W., Wagner, J., & Trestman, R. L. (2012). Recidivism rates among mentally ill inmates: Impact of the Connecticut Offender Reentry Program. Journal of Correctional Health Care, 18(1), 20–28. https://doi.org/10.1177/1078345811421117
Klingele, C. (2013). Rethinking the use of community supervision. Journal of Criminal Law and Criminology, 103(4), 1015–1070. https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2232078
Kopak, A. M. (2018). An initial assessment of Leon County Florida’s pre-arrest adult civil citation program. Journal of Behavioral Health Services & Research, 46(1), 177–186. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11414-018-9620-0
Kopak, A. M. (2020). Behavioral health indicators and time-to-rearrest in an adult pre-arrest diversion program. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 38(1), 66–76. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2452
Kopak, A. M., & Frost, G. A. (2017). Correlates of program success and recidivism among participants in an adult pre-arrest diversion program. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 42(4), 727–745. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-017-9390-x
Kreyenbuhl, J., Buchanan, R. W., Dickerson, F. B., & Dixon, L. B. (2009). The schizophrenia patient outcomes research team (PORT): Updated treatment recommendations 2009. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 36(1), 94–103. https://doi.org/10.1093/schbul/sbp130
Lamb, H. R., & Weinberger, L. E. (2017). Understanding and treating offenders with serious mental illness in public sector mental health. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 35(4), 303–318. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2292
Lamberti, J. S., Weisman, R., & Faden, D. I. (2004). Forensic assertive community treatment: Preventing incarceration of adults with severe mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 55(11), 1285–1293. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.55.11.1285
Lamberti, J. S., Weisman, R. L., Cerulli, C., Williams, G. C., Jacobowitz, D. B., Mueser, K. T., Marks, P. D., Strawderman, R. L., Harrington, D., Lamberti, T. A., & Caine, E. D. (2017). A randomized controlled trial of the Rochester forensic assertive community treatment model. Psychiatric Services, 68(10), 1016–1024. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201600329
Lee, J. H., Kwon, H., Choi, J., & Yang, B. H. (2007). Cue-exposure therapy to decrease alcohol craving in virtual environment. CyberPsychology and Behavior, 10(5), 617–623. https://doi.org/10.1089/cpb.2007.9978
Lee, S. H., Han, D. H., Oh, S., Lyoo, I. K., Lee, Y. S., Renshaw, P. F., & Lukas, S. E. (2009). Quantitative electroencephalographic (qEEG) correlates of craving during virtual reality therapy in alcohol-dependent patients. Pharmacology Biochemistry and Behavior, 91(3), 393–397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pbb.2008.08.014
Livingston, J. D. (2016). Contact between police and people with mental disorders: A review of rates. Psychiatric Services, 67(8), 850–857. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201500312
Loong, D., Bonato, S., & Dewa, C. S. (2016). The effectiveness of mental health courts in reducing recidivism and police contact: A systematic review protocol. Systematic Reviews, 5(1), 123. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13643-016-0291-8
Lowder, E. M., Rade, C. B., & Desmarais, S. L. (2018). Effectiveness of mental health courts in reducing recidivism: A meta-analysis. Psychiatric Services, 69(1), 15–22. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201700107
Manchak, S. M., Skeem, J. L., Kennealy, P. J., & Louden, J. E. (2014). High-fidelity specialty mental health probation improves officer practices, treatment access, and rule compliance. Law and Human Behavior, 38(5), 450–461. https://doi.org/10.1037/lhb0000076
Marquant, T., Sabbe, B., Van Nuffel, M., & Goethals, K. (2016). Forensic Assertive Community Treatment: A review of the literature. Community Mental Health Journal, 52(8), 873–881. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-016-0044-0
Marquant, T., Sabbe, B., Van Nuffel, M., Verelst, R., & Goethals, K. (2018). Forensic Assertive Community Treatment in a continuum of care for male internees in Belgium: Results after 33 months. Community Mental Health Journal, 54(1), 58–65. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0153-4
McKenna, B., Skipworth, J., Tapsell, R., Pillai, K., Madell, D., Simpson, A., Cavney, J., & Rouse, P. (2018). Impact of an assertive community treatment model of care on the treatment of prisoners with a serious mental illness. Australasian Psychiatry, 26(3), 285–289. https://doi.org/10.1177/1039856217748247
Miller, J. M., Miller, H. V., & Barnes, J. C. (2019). Treating co-occurring disorders in jails: Outcome findings from a second chance act offender reentry program. Crime & Delinquency, 65(5), 583–605. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128718789860
Morabito, M. S., Savage, J., Sneider, L., & Wallace, K. (2018). Police response to people with mental illnesses in a major U.S. city: The Boston experience with the co-responder model. Victims & Offenders, 13(8), 1093–1105. https://doi.org/10.1080/15564886.2018.1514340
Morrissey, J. P., Domino, M. E., & Cuddeback, G. S. (2016). Expedited Medicaid enrollment, mental health service use, and criminal recidivism among released prisoners with severe mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 67(8), 842–849. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201500305
Mueser, K. T., Bond, G. R., Drake, R. E., & Resnick, S. G. (1998). Models of community care for severe mental illness: A review of research on case management. Schizophrenia Bulletin, 24(1), 37–74. https://doi.org/10.1093/oxfordjournals.schbul.a033314
Munetz, M. R., & Griffin, P. A. (2006). Use of the Sequential Intercept Model as an approach to decriminalization of people with serious mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 57(4), 544–549. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2006.57.4.544
Pillai, K., Rouse, P., McKenna, B., Skipworth, J., Cavney, J., Tapsell, R., Simpson, A., & Madell, D. (2016). From positive screen to engagement in treatment: A preliminary study of the impact of a new model of care for prisoners with serious mental illness. BMC Psychiatry, 16(1), 9. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-016-0711-2
Prins, S. J. (2014). Prevalence of mental illnesses in US state prisons: A systematic review. Psychiatric Services, 65(7), 862–872. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201300166
Puntis, S., Perfect, D., Kirubarajan, A., Bolton, S., Davies, F., Hayes, A., Harriss, E., & Molodynski, A. (2018). A systematic review of co-responder models of police mental health ‘street’ triage. BMC Psychiatry, 18, 256. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12888-018-1836-2
Ray, R. (2020). What does defund the police mean and does it have merit? The Brookings Institute. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/fixgov/2020/06/19/what-does-defund-the-police-mean-and-does-it-have-merit/
Redlich, A. D. (2013). The past, present, and future of mental health courts. In R. L. Wiener & E. M. Banks (Eds.), Problem solving courts: Social science and legal perspectives (pp. 147–161). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-7403-6_9
Saleh, A. Z., Appelbaum, P. S., Liu, X., Stroup, T. S., & Wall, M. (2018). Deaths of people with mental illness during interactions with law enforcement. International Journal of Law and Psychiatry, 58, 110–116. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijlp.2018.03.003
SAMHSA. (2012). Results from the 2011 national survey on drug use and health: Mental health findings. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. Retrieved from https://www.samhsa.gov/data/sites/default/files/NSDUHmhfr2011/NSDUHmhfr2011.pdf
Sarteschi, C. M., Vaughn, M. G., & Kim, K. (2011). Assessing the effectiveness of mental health courts: A quantitative review. Journal of Criminal Justice, 39(1), 12–20. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcrimjus.2010.11.003
Schultheis, M. T., & Rizzo, A. A. (2001). The application of virtual reality technology in rehabilitation. Rehabilitation Psychology, 46(3), 296–311. https://doi.org/10.1037/0090-5550.46.3.296
Shapiro, G. K., Cusi, A., Kirst, M., O’Campo, P., Nakhost, A., & Steriopoulos, V. (2015). Co-responding police-mental health programs: A review. Administration and Policy in Mental Health and Mental Health Services Research, 42(5), 606–620. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10488-014-0594-9
Skeem, J. L., & Louden, J. E. (2006). Toward evidence-based practice for probationers and parolees mandated to mental health treatment. Psychiatric Services, 57(3), 333–342. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.57.3.333
Skeem, J. L., Manchak, S., & Montoya, L. (2017). Comparing public safety outcomes for traditional probation vs. specialty mental health probation. JAMA Psychiatry, 74(9), 942–948. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2017.1384
Steadman, H. J., & Morrissette, D. (2016). Police responses to persons with mental illness: Going beyond CIT training. Psychiatric Services, 67(10), 1054–1056. https://doi.org/10.1176/appi.ps.201600348
Steadman, H. J., Osher, F. C., Robbins, P. C., Case, B., & Samuels, S. (2009). Prevalence of serious mental illness among jail inmates. Psychiatric Services, 60(6), 761–765. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.2009.60.6.761
Thompson, M., Osher, F. C., & Tomasini-Joshi, D. (2008). Improving responses to people with mental illnesses: The essential elements of a mental health court. Justice Center, the Council of State Governments. Retrieved from https://csgjusticecenter.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/mhc-essential-elements.pdf
Ticknor, B., & Tillinghast, S. (2011). Virtual reality and the criminal justice system: New possibilities for research, training, and rehabilitation. Journal for Virtual Worlds Research, 4(2). https://doi.org/10.4101/jvwr.v4i2.2071
Tobin, T. C. (2019). Policing and special populations: Strategies to overcome policing challenges encountered with mentally ill individuals. In J. F. Albrecht, G. den Heyer, & P. Stanislas (Eds.), Policing and minority communities (pp. 75–92). Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-19182-5_5
Tully, J., Hearn, D., & Fahy, T. (2014). Can electronic monitoring (GPS ‘tracking’) enhance risk management in psychiatry? British Journal of Psychiatry, 205(2), 83–85. https://doi.org/10.1192/bjp.bp.113.138636
Watson, A. C., Compton, M. T., & Draine, J. N. (2017). The crisis intervention team (CIT) model: An evidence-based policing practice? Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 35(5–6), 431–441. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2304
Watson, A. C., & Fulambarker, A. J. (2012). The Crisis Intervention Team model of police response to mental health crises: A primer for mental health practitioners. Best Practices in Mental Health, 8(2), 71.
Wenzlow, A. T., Ireys, H. T., Mann, B., Irvin, C., & Teich, J. L. (2011). Effects of a discharge planning program on Medicaid coverage of state prisoners with serious mental illness. Psychiatric Services, 62(1), 73–78. https://doi.org/10.1176/ps.62.1.pss6201_0073
Yanos, P. T., Knight, E. L., Vayshenker, B., Gonzales, L., & DeLuca, J. (2017). Community protection versus individual healing: Two traditions in community mental health. Behavioral Sciences & the Law, 35(4), 288–302. https://doi.org/10.1002/bsl.2297
Yoon, I. A., Slade, K., & Fazel, S. (2017). Outcomes of psychological therapies for prisoners with mental health problems: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 85(8), 783–802. https://doi.org/10.1037/ccp0000214
Zubritsky, C., Wald, H., Jaquette, N., & Balestra, A. (2018). Breaking the cycle of recidivism: From in-jail behavioral health services to community support. Journal of Criminology and Forensic Studies, 1(2), 180010. Retrieved from https://chembiopublishers.com/JOCFS/JOCFS180010.pdf
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Editor information
Editors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Samost, D., Hwang, J., Yanos, P.T. (2022). New Directions in the Treatment of Justice-Involved Individuals with Severe Mental Illness. In: Jeglic, E., Calkins, C. (eds) Handbook of Issues in Criminal Justice Reform in the United States. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77565-0_22
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-77565-0_22
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Cham
Print ISBN: 978-3-030-77564-3
Online ISBN: 978-3-030-77565-0
eBook Packages: Law and CriminologyLaw and Criminology (R0)