Chicago, Ill. - With studies showing that half of jail and prison inmates have mental illnesses, jail and prison administrator are facing growing costs, liabilities and operational challenges. To help the correctional health care providers in their institutions meet these challenges and find cost-effective, practical solutions, the National Commission on Correctional Health Care will hold the 2013 Correctional Mental Health Care Conference on July 21-22 in Las Vegas.
The conference will focus on both persistent mental health issues that have long impacted jail and prison administrators—effective and legal mental health segregation, suicide prevention and reentry —and new challenges related to synthetic drugs, transgendered patients, dementia care and treatment for sex offenders. Correctional mental health experts will address the continuing consequences of lack of mental health care in the community and the burden this places on correctional institutions—especially in a time of scrutiny of costs and outcomes.
The conference features 36 sessions, up to 17 hours of continuing education and the opportunity for mental health professionals in correctional settings to network with others facing similar challenges. Sessions of special interest include:
- The Dreaded Deposition: Learn the Art of Successful Testimony and How to Control the Cross Examiner
- Building a Bridge to the Community: A Reentry Model
- Getting Buy-In From County Decision Makers: Creative, Budget-Friendly Ways to Improve Services
- Self-Injurious Behavior in Jails: Suicide and Nonsuicidal Self-Injury, Management of an At-Risk Population
- Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Mental Health Training for Correctional Officers
- Segregation and Serious Mental Illness: Creating a System to Ensure Quality Care and Minimize Clinical and Legal Risks
- Practical Advice in Avoiding Liability for an Inmate Suicide
- Treating Sexual Offending Behaviors
- Creative Ways to Meet the Challenges of Managing People With Mental Illness in Jail
- Officers in Training: Proper Care of Inmates With Dementia
- U.S. v. Jared Loughner: A Review of the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeal’s Decision on Forced Medication
- Structured Mental Health Programming in High Security Confinement: A Best Practice
- Current Legal Developments in Correctional Mental Health Law
- Coping vs. Cuffs: How to Increase Positive Communications Between Psychology and Security
- A Proactive Three-Step Process for Decreasing Mental Health Crises
The conference will take place at the Paris Hotel. Attendees who register by June 21 can save up to $50. The conference is supported by the Academy of Correctional Health Professionals, the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association. For more information, visit www.ncchc.org/mental-health-conference.
About NCCHC: The National Commission on Correctional Health Care is a not-for-profit 501(c)(3) organization working to improve the quality of care in our nation’s jails, prisons and juvenile detention and confinement facilities. Programs and resources include standards for health services, mental health services and opioid treatment programs in correctional facilities, voluntary accreditation programs for facilities that meet these standards, educational trainings and conferences, publications and professional certification. NCCHC is supported by the major national organizations representing the fields of health, law and corrections. Each of these organizations has named a liaison to the NCCHC board of directors. Learn more at www.ncchc.org.
NCCHC Supporting Organizations: Academy of Correctional Health Professionals, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Academy of Physician Assistants, American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, American Association of Public Health Physicians, American Bar Association, American College of Emergency Physicians, American College of Healthcare Executives, American College of Neuropsychiatrists, American College of Physicians, American College of Preventive Medicine, American Correctional Health Services Association, American Counseling Association, American Dental Association, American Health Information Management Association, American Jail Association, American Medical Association, American Nurses Association, American Osteopathic Association, American Pharmacists Association, American Psychiatric Association, American Psychological Association, American Public Health Association, American Society of Addiction Medicine, Association of State and Territorial Health Officials, International Association for Correctional and Forensic Psychology, National Association of Counties, National Association of County and City Health Officials, National Association of Social Workers, National Medical Association, National Partnership for Juvenile Services, National Sheriffs’ Association, Society for Adolescent Health and Medicine and Society of Correctional Physicians.