Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Email this article to a Colleague Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to My Articles & Searches Download to citation manager Citing Articles via Google Scholar Articles by Parker, G. F. Search for Related Content PubMed Citation Articles by Parker, G. F. Mentally Ill Offenders Education, Nonmedical Psychiatric Professionals Other Violence/Aggression

Impact of a Mental Health Training Course for Correctional Officers on a Special Housing Unit

Dr. Parker is with the Department of Psychiatry, Indiana University School of Medicine, 1111 West 10th St., Indianapolis, IN 46202 (e-mail: geoparke{at}iupui.edu). A preliminary version of this research was presented in poster format at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law, October 27, 2006, Montreal, Canada.

OBJECTIVE: This study determined the impact of a ten-hour mental health training program developed by the Indiana chapter of the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI-Indiana) for correctional officers on a prison special housing ("supermax") unit. METHODS: The training was delivered to all of the correctional officers on the unit in five weekly sessions and was repeated 15 months later for new unit staff. The number of incidents reported by unit staff in standard monthly reports, consisting of use of force by the officers and battery by bodily waste on the officers by the offenders, was compared for the nine months before and after both training sessions. RESULTS: Attendance at the initial training ranged from 48 to 57 officers per session, and on the basis of Likert ratings, training was well received by the officers. The total number of incidents, the use of force by the officers, and battery by bodily waste all declined significantly after the first mental health training, and the total number of incidents and battery by bodily waste declined significantly after the second training. CONCLUSIONS: The provision of ten hours of mental health training to correctional officers was associated with a significant decline in use of force and battery by bodily waste.

Get information about faster international access.

Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2009 American Psychiatric Association. All rights reserved.

Home | Search | Current Issue | Past Issues | Subscribe | All APPI Journals | Help | Contact Us