Individuals with serious mental illness are overrepresented in the criminal justice system, often leading to the mistaken belief that mental illness is the primary contributor to criminal behavior. Research, however, shows a weak relationship between mental health functioning and criminal behavior, and poor criminal justice outcomes when interventions focus solely on mental health recovery. Participants will explore evidence-based practices that address both mental health and criminogenic risk factors to more effectively reduce recidivism.

Educational Objectives

• Describe the primary predictors of criminal recidivism among justice-involved individuals with serious mental illness
• Summarize the core principles of the Risk-Needs-Responsivity model for correctional rehabilitation
• Identify evidence-based mental health and correctional interventions for justice-involved individuals with SMI