Seriously Mentally Ill Program's Justice Series Training

About the Program

Category: Criminal Justice and Public Safety (Best in Category)

Year: 2020

The Maricopa County Adult Probation Department (MCAPD)’s Seriously Mentally Ill Program provides specialized supervision of individuals on probation who are seriously mentally ill (SMI). Probation officers interact frequently with clinical teams in a joint effort to engage and encourage clients’ participation with both their mental health care and their probation. The case managers attend Mental Health Court and assist with plans to re-engage clients who have encountered barriers to their progress. However, it was found that many of the clinical teams were unsure of how to work with the justice-involved population, both while in the field and in a more professional setting in court. This was creating additional barriers to the supervision of clients and their success in the program. The MCAPD’s SMI Program partnered with the Regional Behavioral Health Authority, Mercy Care, to create and implement a voluntary training for clinical teams who work with justice-involved members as well as observations of Mental Health Court for the clinic leadership. These efforts have helped members of clinical teams understand the criminal justice process and how they can work with probation officers and the Mental Health Court to encourage and assist clients’ success.