Improving Outcomes for People with Mental Illnesses under Community Corrections Supervision: A GUIDE TO RESEARCH-INFORMED POLICY AND PRACTICE

Points of view or opinions in this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official position or policies of the MacArthur Foundation, the U.S. Department of Justice, members of the Council of State Governments, or the project's advisory group. The Council of State Governments Justice Center is a national nonprofit organization that serves policymakers at the local, state, and federal levels from all branches of government. The Justice Center provides practical, nonpartisan advice and consensus-driven strategies, informed by available evidence, to increase public safety and strengthen communities. Executive Summary v OvERvIEW The number of people under correctional supervision has reached un­ precedented levels, and the vast majority of these individuals are supervised in the community by probation or parole agencies. 1 Within the context of this overall growth, probation and parole officers are coming into contact with high numbers of people with mental illnesses (most of whom have co­occurring substance use disorders). Facing staggeringly large caseloads, traditional probation and parole agencies are often unable to meet the broad treatment, service, and super vision needs this population requires. 2 Perhaps as a result, people with mental illnesses are more likely than others under community supervision to have their community sentences revoked, 3 deepening their involvement in the criminal justice system in a manner that has implications for public safety, pub­ lic health, and public spending. Community corrections officials and their counterparts in the mental health system understand that their target populations are increasingly overlapping and that the need for new approaches has never been greater. Across the country, probation and parole officials are working with jail and prison admin­ istrators, judges, prosecutors, defense attorneys, and community­based treatment providers to develop strategies that maintain public safety while improving outcomes for people with mental illnesses under community corrections supervision. But all too often, these responses are not backed by research, and as a result, may be less successful than initiatives that incorporate empirically sound interventions. This in turn limits the political support for and sustainability of these efforts. Corrections and mental health professionals need to design and implement interventions that are informed by the latest evidence about what works, for whom, and under what circumstances. Toward that end, this guide draws on three different literatures—research on community corrections supervision strategies, mental health treatment strategies, and integrated supervision and treatment strategies. METHOdOlOgy The authors of this guide conducted an …