NCJ Number
131174
Date Published
1989
Length
10 pages
Annotation
A proposed facility for mentally ill offenders, to be established within the Alaskan Department of Corrections at Cook Inlet Pretrial Facility, would provide for the identification, diagnosis, needs assessment, stabilization, treatment, and case management of offenders for whom participation in general population programs is limited.
Abstract
Clients would be identified by mental health clinicians and the forensic consultation team; criteria for admission would be based on the DSM III-R. Offenders would receive psychiatric treatment within the facility to achieve maximum stability; medical treatments would be prescribed by correctional doctors. The location of the prison facility is accessible to outside mental health and community resources and is situated to provide easy transition into the open prison population. In addition to a specialized setting and individualized treatment, a full range of program options would be available. Staffing recommendations for the proposed facility are based on court rulings as well as accepted mental health professional standards. The program would fill some of the gaps in the current correctional system by providing needed mental health services; the system would be accountable and monitored to ensure a safe, secure, and protected environment as well as an acceptable level of quality care. Networking would be done with various community agencies to provide case management and would include a thorough diagnostic-evaluation plan for each offender in the program.