Abstract
In the following article, the author discusses psychoeducational groups offered in a men’s maximum security prison by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health’s (CAMH) Forensic Early Intervention Service (FEIS) in partnership with correctional services staff. The author shares observations and experiences facilitating mental health programs with clients in custody and explore related challenges, risks and opportunities. Outcomes and feedback from group participants are reviewed and recommendations for others interested in offering similar programs are presented.
Highlights
The Forensic Early Intervention Service (FEIS) team intentionally offers services on units where clients with the most persistent serious mental illness (SMI) are housed
Attendance, and information regarding health record processes are reviewed at the onset of each session
Between November 2018 and May 2019, 22 groups sessions had been offered on a supportive care unit, with about 140 clients attending and 42 submitting feedback forms
Summary
Offering group mental health programs in a maximum-security correctional facility: Observations, outcomes, and recommendations. The FEIS is a multidisciplinary psychiatric team that offers triage, assessment, and rehabilitative services for clients within a men’s maximum-security detention facility in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. As part of the partnership, the FEIS has worked alongside correctional officers and health-care staff since 2016 to provide group programs for clients with mental health and addiction challenges. These programs have evolved to occur weekly in a high- security supportive care unit. Clients may be reluctant to accept care and treatment in custody for a variety of reasons [3] These factors present unique challenges when formulating and delivering mental health services in custody
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