Improving the Supervision of Offenders with Serious Mental Illnesses: Tips, Tricks and Tools for Probation and Parole Officers

SESSION INFO

Monday, August 29, 2022
3:30 PM - 5:00 PM
Session Type: Workshop

Individuals with serious mental illnesses on probation and parole have complex needs, elevated criminogenic risks, and present many challenges to the probation/parole officers who supervise them. In collaboration with the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the North Carolina Department of Public Safety has innovated special programs and initiatives to equip probation/parole officers with the skills and tools needed to optimize criminal justice and mental health outcomes for people under supervision with mental illnesses. In this interactive workshop, participants will learn about these programs and initiatives and gain hands-on experience with: our mental health training modules for officers; our brief assessments of mental health and social determinants of health; our decision tools and worksheets; our strategies used to facilitate consultation between mental health professionals and officers; and our lessons learned regarding the implementation and evaluation of specialty mental health probation.

SESSION PRESENTERS

Ms Sonya Brown
Behavioral Health Program Administrator, NC Division of Mental Health


Sonya Brown is the Social Work Program Administrator in Community Corrections at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) and has over 20 years of experience with programs and services for justice-involved people with mental illnesses and substance use disorders.


Karen Smith Buck
Evidence Based Practice Manager, NC Department of Adult Correction


Karen Buck is the Evidence-based Practices Administrator at the North Carolina Department of Public Safety (NCDPS) and has over 20 years of service with the NCDPS and oversees field implementation of evidence-based supervision strategies and has experience training staff, monitoring implementation, and auditing service delivery standards.


Gary Cuddeback
Professor and Associate Dean, Virginia Commonwealth University, School of Social Work


Gary S. Cuddeback is a professor and associate dean for research at the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University and has over 15 years of experience as a researcher focused on individuals with serious mental illnesses, especially those who are involved in the criminal justice system.


Andrea Murray-Lichtman, LCSW
Clinical Associate Professor, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill


Andrea Murray Lichtman is a clinical associate professor at the School of Social Work at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and has over 20 years of experience as a licensed clinical social work, with specific expertise providing support and consultation to probation officers who are supervising individuals with serious mental illnesses.