Product Description

The number of criminal offenders with mental health problems has increased steadily. Yet few graduate programs offer courses that deal with the many complex assessment, treatment, and management issues encountered by correctional mental health workers.

The Correctional Mental Health Handbook is the first book to offer a comprehensive overview of the services provided by correctional mental health professionals for the various populations found in correctional programs and facilities. Edited by Thomas J. Fagan and Robert K. Ax, experts with over 40 years of correctional mental health experience, this unique handbook is divided into three sections. The first section provides a flexible model for organizing mental health services based on staffing levels, facility mission, and local need. The second section considers typical offender problems in many correctional systems and how they are customarily managed. The third section presents various clinical and consultative activities offered by mental health professionals within correctional settings.

A distinguished group of practitioners and scholars combine years of experience and cutting-edge research to examine

• The ethics of correctional mental health practice
• Practitioner roles within the correctional community
• Core mental health services for both single offenders and special need groups
• Program planning and release preparation for inmates
• Mental health services offered to institution staff
• Training hostage and crisis negotiators
• Future trends in correctional mental health

While the main audience will be correctional mental health professionals and academics involved with training correctional mental health professionals, the Correctional Mental Health Handbook is also an ideal primer for graduate students studying corrections in criminal justice programs. For the student preparing to enter the correctional mental health profession, this indispensable text explains the general characteristics and treatment needs of specific inmate populations including: substance dependent offenders, female offenders, sexual predators, and juvenile offenders.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #649992 in Books
• Published on: 2002-12-02
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 376 pages

Review
"Correctional Mental Health Handbook, edited by Thomas J. Fagan and Robert K. Ax, is full of information for hands-on management as well as information for policy decisions... Within this excellent text, each chapter, which is written by seasoned mental health professionals, provides information useful to corrections professionals as well as students of criminal justice." (Kip Hillman )

"The chapters are well organized, well written, and well referenced. The authors are well qualified, all having years of pertinent experience in both the clinical and administrative realms, and the editors share more than 40 years of experience. . . . Correctional Mental Health Handbook has a place on the shelf of any correctional health professional, particularly program leaders. It is also a must-read for clinical training directors who are considering correctional placements for their trainees."   (Psychiatric Services )

About the Author

Tom Fagan is a consulting clinical psychologist who also teaches as an adjunct at Mary Washington College and Germanna Community College. From 1991 to 1999 he was Director of Clinical Training, Psychology Services, for the Federal Bureau of Prisons. He is a member of the Board of Directors of the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC). He is also on the Editorial Board of the Journal of Correctional Health Care.He has authored or co-authored a wide variety of articles in journals and books, as well as made numerous presentations at professional meetings.

Bob Ax is the Director of Psychology Training and a Staff Psychologist at the Federal Correctional Institution in Petersburg, VA. Previously, he was a staff psychologist at Trenton State Prison in Trenton, NJ.He is a Fellow in the APA and the current President of the APA's Division of Psychologists in Public Service. From 1992 to 1994 he was Chair of the APA's Criminal Justice Section. He is widely published and has made numerous presentations at a variety of national and professional meetings.

Customer Reviews

A Great Book for Students or Correctional Professionals
I have worked as a psychologist in the field of corrections for more than 26 years and this is the first book I have seen that covers all of the issues related to this topic. As a reference book for practicing clinicians or correctional administrators, it provides guidance for developing treatment or policy initiatives. Perhaps more important, as a text book for mental health professionals interested in the field of corrections, or for those teaching courses in corrections, it provides the latest and most definitive word on topics clinicians will confront each and every day. This is an excellent book and a needed addition to the bookshelves of all correctional professionals.

Realistic Hope
This book offers realistic hope for changing for the better the policies, procedures, and conditions for the growing corrections population. Not only does it provide an insider's view on reform, the insiders have clearly combined hope and reality in their suggestions.