This week, you read about the criminally mentally ill. Social workers know the principles of logic, scientific inquiry, and culturally informed and ethical approaches to building knowledge.
Social workers also understand theories of human behavior and the social environment, and critically evaluate and apply this knowledge to effectively intervene with clients and constituencies.
This assignment requires you to create a narrated PowerPoint presentation focused on issues related to an incarcerated specialized group (e.g., women, LGBTQ, elderly, ethnic minority groups) with severe mental illness/addiction.
Assume you have been asked to train the detention staff members of a local jail to help them better understand the various issues faced by inmates with mental illness with particular attention to creating an understanding that, as a consequence of difference, a person’s life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim and that the dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors.
To prepare for your training, your presentation must include the following:
1. Clearly describe the population and at-risk issues.
2. Explain the special assessment/treatment issues and needs.
3. Analyze any gaps, barriers, or service provision challenges recognizing that evaluation is an ongoing component of the dynamic and interactive process of social work practice with, and on behalf of, diverse individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities.
4. Recommend EBI that seem to address the issues these inmates face.
5. Indicate necessary competencies in treating this population.
6. Interpret any ethical concerns/issues to best help jail employees work with this population.
Incorporate appropriate animations, transitions, and graphics as well as speaker notes for each slide. The speaker notes may be comprised of brief paragraphs or bulleted lists and should cite material appropriately.
Week 6 Reading
Examining Criminal Justice and Mental Health Intersections
Many scholars have indicated that jails and prisons are surrogates for mental health hospitals. Recent data indicates that individuals with serious mental illnesses are three times more likely to be detained than people without a severe mental illness, and they also are incarcerated for longer periods without bail (Nicholls, Crocker, Seto, Wilson, Charette, & Cote, 2015). This week, you will read about people with serious mental illnesses who may intersect with the criminal justice system. The field of forensic social work consists of social workers providing services to the mentally ill who are affiliated with the justice system. Many individuals with severe mental illness may be homeless, have severe substance abuse problems, and have high rates of trauma. All of these associated risk factors are related to, and have a major impact on, individuals with severe mental illness going to jail/prison and have significant implications for recovery.
You will also read about the increasing incarceration rates related to the serious mental illness population and the duality associated with substance use disorders, homelessness, instances of trauma, and/or being women or African American males. Although the criminal justice system is not designed to be a treatment institution for individuals with severe mental illness, in recent years, governmental officials have allocated increased funding to implement promising practices in criminal justice systems across the country as a strategy to prevent the revolving door of incarceration. Various interventions strategies are used to prevent criminal recidivism for mentally ill clients including mental health courts, specialty probation, transitional supports, and conditional release programs.
