In 2019, the IACFP Board began to focus on community corrections as one of its priorities. Their goal was to advance research and support for effective mental health service delivery systems in community corrections worldwide. The first phase of this work was to conduct a literature review and to scan research and practice. The board then utilized their networks to reach out to jurisdictions around the world to build a diverse scope from which to examine and learn. The details of the scope of phase one were summarized in the April 2021 IACFP Bulletin. The results of the first phase can be found in the document, “Mental Health and Community Corrections: International Perspectives.” The … [Read more...] about IACFP Announces Completion of Report on Mental Health in Community Corrections

During the most recent IACFP board meeting, there was discussion on how exciting it would be to bring together past IACFP Distinguished Scholars to discuss criminal justice reform on a video platform. The opportunity was not possible due to scheduling challenges; however, Fergus McNeill shared a video with us that discussed the issues of community integration for individuals who have experienced the criminal justice system. This discussion involved three IACFP Distinguished Scholars: Reuben Miller, Shadd Maruna, and Fergus McNeill, as well as Marguerite Schinkel, Senior Lecturer, University of Glasgow. This article summarizes the video. Punishment and Reintegration The panel first … [Read more...] about Life After State Punishment: A Conversation with IACFP Distinguished Scholars on the Criminal Justice System

Front Row (left to right): Frank Porporino, Melvin Hinton, Diane Williams, Dick Althouse Back Row (left to right): Jim DeGroot, Jeffrey Metzner, Emma Regan, Gabriel Ong, Matt Epperson The IACFP Board held its first in-person meeting in nearly three years in November 2022. In addition to conducting the business of the Association, the Board spent significant time on developing their strategic focus for the future and tactical and operational plans. The board has identified three areas for strategic focus: International Strategy Professional Education and Support Community Corrections The international strategy is proposed to have five areas of focus: 1) geographic … [Read more...] about IACFP Board in Action: Back In Person After Three Years

We've compiled top highlights from recent research, policy, and practice resources across the world for our latest IACFP International News summary. Our topics for November and December, 2022 include IACFP updates, recent research, emerging practices, and upcoming conferences. 1. IACFP Updates The IACFP membership has elected Dr. Emma Regan as IACFP President-elect. Her term will begin on 1 January, 2023. Dr. Regan currently serves as Head of Psychological Services for the Irish Prison Service. The day before the IACFP Board met in November 2022, the IACFP Europe Board met for their annual meeting. The IACFP Europe Board includes Frank Porporino, Diane Williams, and … [Read more...] about IACFP International News, Research, and Resources for Nov/Dec 2022

Joe Bugher started his career with the Oregon Department of Corrections (DOC) as a correctional officer. After several years in that role, followed by seven years as a correctional counselor, he was promoted to positions in mental health and management within the department. Recently he visited Norway through the Correctional Leaders Immersion Program. This article summarizes his observations during that visit and what he views as next steps in implementation in his work as a leader for the Oregon Way model. The purpose of the visit to Norway was to expose the correctional leaders from Oregon, California, and North Dakota—50% of whom were health care leaders—to correctional practices in … [Read more...] about Interview with Joe Bugher, Assistant Director of Health Services, Oregon DOC, on the Oregon Way Model

We've compiled top highlights from recent research, policy, and practice resources across the world for our latest IACFP International News summary. Our topics for September and October, 2022 include IACFP updates; new research on mental health and trauma-informed care; and resources for practice. 1. IACFP Updates The IACFP will be announcing nominations for President-Elect in October 2022. This will be followed by ballots being sent to IACFP members for the thirty-day voting period. Please respond when you receive your ballot. Frank Porporino, Ph.D., IACFP Past-President, provided the opening keynote address at the 5th World Congress on Probation and Parole in … [Read more...] about IACFP International News, Research, and Resources for Sept/Oct 2022

Over the past five years I have been hearing about the Forensic Psychiatric Centers (FPCs) operating in Belgium. I first heard about FPC Ghent and then later FPC Antwerp. Hearing and reading about these centers, which utilize a unique way of providing both security and treatment for justice-involved individuals with psychiatric problems, is very different from seeing them in action. In June 2022, I was able to visit FPC Ghent and observe not only a unique facility design but also a comprehensive and individualized approach to treatment. In Belgium, internment is the most severe security measure to compel offenders with psychiatric problems to undergo treatment. These individuals have … [Read more...] about Forensic Psychiatric Centers Offer Unique Approach to Treating Justice-Involved Individuals with Psychiatric Problems

Caroline Lim, Director of Rehabilitation and Reintegration with the Singapore Prison Service (SPS), recently presented a workshop on “Community Partnerships and Mobilisation in Corrections” at the American Correctional Association Annual Conference. Her presentation summarized the transformation journey that SPS has taken over the last twenty years. Her presentation was engaging and shared how comprehensive community partnerships and inclusion of both individual and organizational volunteers can assist in the change process with justice-involved individuals. It is noteworthy that during the twenty-year transformation process, SPS has documented a reduction in the two-year recidivism rate … [Read more...] about Community Partnerships and Mobilisation in Corrections: A Focus on Singapore Prison Service

We've compiled top highlights from recent research, policy, and practice resources across the world for our latest IACFP International News summary. Our topics for August and September, 2022 include IACFP updates; new research on criminalization, rehabilitation, probation, and mental health; policy updates for reducing the risk of HIV in prison settings; resources for practice; and upcoming conferences. 1. IACFP Brief IACFP will be presenting the results of the first phase of the “Mental Health in Community Corrections—International Perspectives” project at the 5th World Congress in Ottawa, Canada on 30 September 2022. A call for nominations for IACFP President-elect, to serve a … [Read more...] about IACFP International News, Research, and Resources for Aug/Sept 2022

Previous issues of the IACFP Bulletin included a summary of recent research examining the relationship between solitary confinement of adults and mental illness in corrections and the improvements in policy and treatment that have taken place in the Oregon Department of Corrections. In the article summarizing recent research, readers were invited to answer four questions about their experiences, from the perspective of practitioners. Those questions were:Have you changed your policy on placing incarcerated persons in isolation cells over the last five years?Are you aware of criminal justice systems that have either not allowed mentally ill persons to be placed in isolation cells or that … [Read more...] about Correctional Service of Canada: Responding to Mental Illness in Corrections

We've compiled top highlights from recent research, policy, and practice resources across the world for our latest IACFP International News summary. Our topics for May and June, 2022 include a report on coping with COVID in prisons, new approaches to engaging justice-involved individuals in meaningful activities, the benefits of probation, statistics on youth violence, strategies for addressing trauma in women's prisons, and upcoming conferences. 1. Research "Coping with COVID in Prisons"Over the last 18 months, User Voice and researchers from Queen's University Belfast were funded by the Economic and Social Research Council to conduct one of the biggest systematic studies of … [Read more...] about IACFP International News, Research, and Resources for May/Jun 2022