NCJ Number
174287
Journal
Corrections Compendium Volume: 23 Issue: 8 Dated: August 1998 Pages: 4-6
Date Published
1998
Length
3 pages
Annotation
Over the past 10 years, criminal justice and mental health systems in Erie County, Pennsylvania, have formed a coalition to identify, treat, supervise, and manage mentally ill offenders.
Abstract
Erie County service providers, along with the county's correctional system, have developed an integrated network of criminal justice and mental health professionals to create a community-based forensic program that will enable the sharing information and facilitate treatment and supervision of mentally ill offenders. A continuum of care has been established that begins during incarceration and extends to the community upon discharge or parole. This process addresses specific areas of treatment and is focused on risk and needs assessments. Offenders with serious mental illnesses are identified and diagnosed, and a treatment plan is developed to ensure offender conditions remain stable throughout the incarceration period. Upon discharge, procedures are activated to facilitate continued treatment in the community. Community input to and support of the program are essential since the prison is only one part of efforts to provide comprehensive services to mentally ill offenders. The flow of mentally ill offenders through arrest, identification, intervention, and discharge is described, with emphasis on diagnosis, treatment, and transition to the community.