NCJ Number
231359
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 37 Issue: 7 Dated: July 2010 Pages: 751-808
Date Published
July 2010
Length
58 pages
Annotation
This third edition of the International Association of Correctional and Forensic Psychology's (IACFP's) Standards for Psychology Services in Jails, Prisons, Correctional Facilities, and Agencies is presented as a guide and reference to professionally accepted and recognized correctional mental health services in correctional contexts, regardless of whether or not such services are constitutionally or legally mandated, or in which country the services are provided.
Abstract
The standards/guidelines are intended to augment, not supplant, those of national, State, or other professional psychological associations or related mental health and social work professions. They are intended to support standards for correctional mental health care published by the American Correctional Association and the National Commission on Correctional Health Care. This edition contains some additions to the previous standards. Among them is the inclusion of other correctional mental health care providers in other psychology-based professions and credential levels. There is an expanded section on ethics, a section on screening institutional and agency staff who have direct contact with mentally ill offenders or inmates, updated standards of screening for and monitoring of mentally ill and potentially suicidal inmates, and a standard for continuing community care of mentally ill offenders. As a whole, the standards address the legally and constitutionally acceptable components of mental health care of inmates; for example, screening and evaluating inmates, treatment of both seriously mentally ill and suicidal inmates with a sufficient number of qualified mental health providers, and confidential records. Desirable components of a correctional mental health system are indicated to be access to mental health care, staff screening and training, and quality assurance. 44 references and a subject index