CPI NewsBrief: Understanding and Navigating the Criminal Justice System: An Overview for Behavioral Health Professionals

CPI News Brief_____ Volume 10 Issue 7 March 2021

Understanding and Navigating the Criminal Justice System: An Overview for Behavioral Health Professionals

— New online module is now available

Did you know that:

The United States is the world leader in incarceration, with 2.2 million people currently serving in the nation’s prisons and jails
This is a 500% increase over the last 40 years
More than 60% of people in prison today are people of color
People with behavioral health disorders are overrepresented in the criminal justice system
In some studies, the percentage of persons diagnosed with serious mental illness behind bars is three to four times that in the community

The Understanding and Navigating the Criminal Justice System: An Overview for Behavioral Health Professionals module was designed specifically for providers working with justice-involved individuals with mental illness. It presents an outline of the arrest and arraignment process, the impact of race relations, and how individuals with behavioral health issues may navigate through the criminal justice system. By providing resources available to these individuals, mental health providers can better facilitate their clients’ re-entry into their community. Using interviews, videos, and interactive exercises, this module helps providers to:

Explain what an individual experiences from the time of their arrest through the court processing and ultimately return to the community,
Summarize how a client with behavioral health issues navigates through the system and the services available to them, an
Describe your role in helping clients during this process.

This module was developed by the CUCS Academy for Justice-Informed Practice and CPI and funded by the NYS Office of Mental Health, and the Research Foundation for Mental Hygiene in cooperation with the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene.

Continuing education credits for completion of this module are available to social workers, licensed mental health counselors, and CASACs.

This is the fourth of a series of modules for providers working with justice-involved individuals with mental illness. The first three modules, currently available, are entitled SPECTRM (Sensitizing Providers to the Effects of Correctional Incarceration on Treatment and Risk Management); Working with Persons Under Criminal Justice Mandates: Collaboration, Connection and Communication; and Reducing Re-Arrest and Promoting Recovery: Understanding and Addressing the Factors that Contribute to Re-Arrest

To access this module:

Log into the Learning Community using your username and password at: https://rfmh.csod.com/client/rfmh/default.aspx
Click on "Browse for training"
Click on "Justice-Involved Individuals"
Click on "Understanding and Navigating......"
Click on "Launch"

PLEASE NOTE: This training is also offered through the CUCS Academy for Justice-Informed Practice, where it is part of a larger certificate bearing program. This program, referred to as the CUCS Behavioral Health/Criminal Justice Certificate Program, is comprised of 8 training modules. If you are interested in obtaining this certificate, please DO NOT take this online course through CPI's s Learning Community. Instead, take this course through the CUCS Learning Management System. Completion of this online course through CPI is not transferable and will not count toward the certificate program.