Transcript Peer Specialists Promoting Community Re

Peer Specialists Promoting
Community Re-integration for
People with Psychiatric
Disabilities Returning Home from
Jail or Prison
Presented by
The Temple University Collaborative on Community Inclusion for Individuals with
Psychiatric Disabilities
And
The National Mental Health Consumers’ Self-Help Clearinghouse
The Webinar Series
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November 2012 / Community Inclusion Programs in PeerRun Mental Health Services
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January 2013 / The Roles of Peer Specialists in Rural
Communities: Challenges and Models
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March 2013 / The Roles of Peer Specialists in Promoting
Competitive Employment

May 2013 / How Can Peer Specialists Promote Engagement
in Religious Congregations?
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July 2013 / Peer Specialists Promoting Community
Re-integration for People with Psychiatric
Disabilities Returning Home from Jail or Prison
Our Presenters

Richard Baron, MA / Temple University
Collaborative on Community Inclusion of Individuals
with Psychiatric Disabilities
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James P. Kimmel, Jr., J.D., Esq. / Peerstar LLC
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LaVerne D. Miller, Esq. / Policy Research
Associates, Inc.
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Lori Schultz / Peerstar LLC
Introduction
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Improving awareness
and responsiveness to
the special needs of
this group
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Establishing
appropriate language
The Facts
• Between 300,000 and 400,000 people with
serious mental illnesses are incarcerated in local
jails and state prisons
• Approximately 500,000 on parole or probation
are living in the community
• National Leadership Forum on Behavioral
Health/Criminal Justice Services, 2009
Our Collective Challenge
• Increase the availability of recovery support
services to justice-involved consumers
• Increase the capacity of Peer Specialists to
effectively provide recovery support services to
justice-involved consumers
• Increase the capacity of consumer organizations
to engage and support the recovery of justiceinvolved consumers in the community
Traditional Focus of Re-entry Programs
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Public Safety
Compliance
Medication/Treatment Management
Recidivism
Viewing Re-entry Through Another Prism
• Many individuals in programs will need support
in “entering” and becoming active in all aspects
of community life including wellness,
employment and family.
• Individuals want and need support around
coming to terms with losses and successfully
grieving these losses.
• Applicability of recovery support services such
as Supported Employment, Person-Centered
Planning and WRAP
SAMHSA’s Four Dimensions of Recovery
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Health
Home
Purpose
Community
Most Commonly Self-Reported Causes
of Relapse
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Loss of hope
Grief over losses
Problems with family reunification
Lack of “community”
Lack of crisis planning
Absence of role models
Low expectations
Lack of meaningful activity
Financial matters (credit, student loans and child
support)
• Undisclosed criminal/civil matters
Some Emerging Roles for Peer Specialists
Advisory and leadership roles in planning and
implementing programs
Wellness Coaching
Outreach, Education and Prevention
Homeless Outreach
Crisis Intervention
Bridger
Service Coordination
Discharge Planning
WRAP Facilitators
Settings
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Jails
Prisons
Forensic Units in State and Municipal Hospitals
Courts
Provider Agencies
Peer-Operated Organizations
Preparing Peer Specialists to Work Effectively with
Justice-Involved Consumers
• Stigma on the part of other consumers
• Culture of Incarceration/Impact on Help
Seeking/Disclosure
• Understanding of local and state criminal justice
system
• Impact and prevalence of trauma
• Direct and collateral consequences of
involvement in the criminal justice system
• Criminal justice partnership
Different Approaches to Training
Peer Workforce
• Integration of additional training modules in
existing training programs
• Specialized training programs, e.g., Forensic
Peer Specialist Training Program
• Continuing Education
Barriers
• Employment policies and practices are
frequently not aligned with values of recovery
and rehabilitation
• Some policies and practices while facially
neutral have a disparate impact on the hiring of
peers with criminal records or the access to peer
to specific settings or places
Examples of Some Potential Restrictions
• Government agency restrictions on hiring staff
with criminal convictions, e.g., felony or violent
crime
• Access to correctional facilities by “convicted
felons” or restrictions on working or visiting
facilities where peer served time
• Conditions of parole, probation or other types of
community supervision
Map of New York State Process
• NYS Office of Mental Health has created a parallel
clearance process for justice-involved peers who are
being hired BECAUSE OF their criminal justice
history.
 Applicants go through the same clearance process as all
employees
 Applicant and employer are notified of decision
 Applicant is sent letter requesting supporting evidence of
“rehabilitation” and has 10 days to provide evidence of
rehabilitation
 Employer must also provide rationale for hiring justiceinvolved peer
Resources
SAMHSA GAINS Center for Behavioral Health
Justice Transformation
gainscenter.samhsa.gov
New Approaches
http://www.mhselfhelp.org/roles-of-peer-specialists-webi/
• Research Citations
• Miracle Court
• Non-Justice
System Handout
Realities of working with previously
incarcerated individuals:
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Initially they will buck the system
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They will be dishonest
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They will cancel appointments
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They may relapse
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They may go back to jail
Realities of working with previously
incarcerated individuals:
As FPS/CPS we need to
remember we are not judge
and jury. Our peers will
make mistakes; it is how
they handle themselves
afterwards that is most
important.
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Points of intercept with individuals who have a
criminal history
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Importance of collaboration with agencies:
Probation, Judges, Children and Youth, Cost and
Fines
The Roles of Peer Specialists
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Our roles in crisis support
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Our roles in development of community roles/natural
supports
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Our roles in Individual Advocacy
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Our roles in Self-Help /Self-improvement
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Roles in wellness/recovery
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Roles in social networking
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How we can help them remain out of jail
Question &
Answer
Resources
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Visit the Clearinghouse website
http://www.mhselfhelp.org/roles-of-peerspecialists-webi/ for:
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Background materials
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A recording of today’s webinar
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Further information for Peer Specialists