ficm - forensic intensive case management
TRANSCRIPT
FICM
Forensic Intensive Case Management
Greg McCutcheon, MA
Executive Director
Forensic Intensive Case Management (FICM)
The CMU in collaboration with Dauphin County MH/MR and the Dauphin County Jail Diversion Program provide targeted case management services to non-violent offenders linked with the criminal justice system that are in need of mental health services.
The Case for FICM
•Research indicates that individuals with severe mental illness are overrepresented in jails and prisons in the U.S. •The prevalence of severe mental disorders in correctional facilities range between 6 and 9%, and are significantly higher than the rate of 2.8% in the general population.
•Individuals who exhibit symptoms of a mental illness at the time of an encounter with the criminal justice system are more likely to be arrested.
•Persons with serious mental illness are jailed more often than hospitalized.
The Case for FICM
•People with serious mental illness spend longer in jail for similar convictions than those without serious mental illness.
•Many offenses that lead to incarceration for individuals with SMI are minor.
•Individuals with serious mental illness who experience things not directly related to their illness (i.e. homelessness) are more likely to return to jail.
•Case management can lead to a reduction in arrests and incarceration.
Individuals with serious mental illness are more likely to become involved with the legal system, and once they do, are more likely to be incarcerated and spend more time detained than individuals who do not suffer from mental illness.
•Diversion = avoiding or radically reducing jail time by using community based treatment and an alternative
•Focuses on Post-Booking but Pre-Sentencing intercepts or diversion models for non-violent offenders
Individuals suffering from mental illness have been diverted from the criminal justice system, have had their charges reduced, or served a decreased sentence due to the coordination of services between the mental health and criminal justice systems. To date, more than 10,000 jail days have been saved due to these efforts.
The Jail Diversion Program
What is FICM?
•Forensic Intensive Case Management is a specialized unit within the mental health department of the CMU.
•Designed to work with individuals who are diagnosed with a mental illness and are also involved with the criminal justice system.
•Delivered by Intensive Case Managers who are specially trained and possess an expertise in working with the criminal justice system. •Multi-faceted, and provide support to the individuals being served through innovative strategies generally not associated with their traditional ICM counterparts.
•Forensic Intensive Case Managers are trained and have specialized expertise in working with the criminal justice system.
•FICM caseloads are comprised of individuals enrolled in the MH Jail Diversion Program and in the future will include other identified individuals linked with the criminal justice system. •The Forensic Intensive Case Managers carry a smaller caseload than their traditional ICM counterparts.
How is Forensic Intensive Case Management (FICM)
different from ICM?
1. Engaging the individual in mental health treatment2. Coordinating and communicating services between
the mental health and criminal justice system3. Identifying community resources that eradicate the
marginal situations generally associated with the forensic population
4. Identifying and rebuilding relationships with family and friends who serve as support for the individual
5. Preventing further involvement with the criminal justice system
Goals of the Forensic ICM Program
Forensic Intensive Case Management services allow individuals involved with mental health and criminal justice the opportunity to participate in their treatment planning while assisting them in confronting and overcoming the barriers and obstacles that confront them.
