III. Mental Health Offenders

Service Tools:

One commonly used and effective treatment for mental health offenders is the use of psychotropic medication. Psychotropic medications include anti-psychotic medications used for delusions, hallucinations (auditory and visual), and disordered thinking; mood stabilizers for overly high or fluctuating mood; antidepressant medications for depressed moods; and anti-anxiety medications for lower feelings of fear and painful anticipation. Staff must work with treatment providers to understand the medication needs of individual offenders and reinforce to offenders the importance of their taking their medications.

The use of medication along with therapy (group or individual sessions) can greatly enhance the effectiveness of treatment. Therapy can serve as a useful tool because it can focus on specific events that need attention or on a broader issue such as an offender's behavior in public.

As with supervising other types of offenders, staff relationships with treatment providers are critical. Criminal justice staff and mental health clinicians must form a seamless web of information, using technology and personal relationships, aimed at helping offenders through the stages of change and minimizing recidivism.