Although Cherie introduced me in the beginning of this bulletin, I wanted to also introduce myself. My name is Tia Tourville. I am an advocate for quality mental health treatment in the criminal justice system. My research interests include competence to stand trial and the effects of pretrial detention on mental health. I pride myself on being a teacher and a mentor, and hope to uphold those roles, regardless of where my career takes me. Perhaps most importantly, I absolutely love to learn (and not just in school, which my family jokes I will never stop returning to). I enjoy learning fun facts, playing trivia, reading about myths and legends, and listening to podcasts. I love discovering how some things work and where other things come from, meeting people and determining how they think and feel and function. As the IACFP Communications and Projects Contractor, I will be learning so much about correctional and forensic practices all over the world, not just systems I have spent most of my academic career learning about back home. And I am unbelievably excited to do so.
Putting together this bulletin is already unlike any professional writing I have done in the past. For the following articles, where I summarize interviews with two incredible professionals, I chose to write in the first person. This style felt more natural and appropriate for the content. Although some questions were prepared in advance, much of our discussions followed an unstructured, free flowing current. Additionally, these summaries are biased by my own perceptions of the conversations. Thus, describing them in first person felt most fitting. With that being said, I welcome your (the reader’s) feedback for future issues, as these articles are not about me, but about information that can be shared with you in a useful and accessible way. Utility and accessibility can look different to different people, so please feel free to share your thoughts with me. I look forward to learning and sharing more with you soon.
Tia Tourville, IACFP Communications and Projects Contractor
