The United States has four percent of the world’s population yet houses twenty-five percent of the world’s prisoners. Incarcerated patients have a high burden of chronic health disorders, including severe mental illness, substance use disorders and trauma. Lock-up facilities (including local and state jail and prisons, federal prisons, immigration detention centers, and Indian Affairs centers) are the largest mental health providers in the United States. An estimated two in five people who are incarcerated have a history of mental illness (37% in state and federal prison and 44% in local jails). These institutions are severely underserved. Jails and prisons have difficulty hiring and retaining mental health professionals. The workforce shortages were exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. which contributes to profound shortages in the availability and retention of psychiatrists who can provide psychiatric care and leadership in these settings. Despite the high need and workforce shortages, psychiatric physicians in training do not regularly receive routine education or clinical training regarding this clinical care setting despite the fact that most training programs are within four miles of a jail or prison. The lack of training leads to significant missed opportunities to improve the quality of care for this patient population. First, early exposure to care within these facilities increases the likelihood of trainees considering carceral/correctional health care as a profession. Second, each year; more than 600,000 individuals are released from state and federal prisons. Another 9 million cycle through local jails. Therefore, even if psychiatrists do not choose a career in this field they must have minimal competency in carceral systems and incarcerated patients will improve the quality of care these individuals receive both while incarcerated and in the community following release.
Format
Recorded webinar, non-interactive, self-paced distance learning activity.
This presentation was recorded at the 2024 American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting.
Learning Objectives
- To provide early exposure to mental health care within a correctional facility to distinguish access and treatment options compared to other community settings.
- To examine the unmet needs of carceral populations
- Critically discuss the experience of carceral populations from the perspective of a mental health professional with lived experience
- To review the needs, standards, and limitations of providing and receiving mental health care in correctional settings
Target Audience
Medical Students, Residents/Fellows, Psychiatrists
Estimated Time to Complete
Estimated Duration: 1.5 hours
Begin Date: October 1, 2025
End Date: October 1, 2028
How to Earn Credit
Participants who wish to earn 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™ or a certificate of participation may do so by completing all sections of the course including the evaluation. After evaluating the program, course participants will be provided with an opportunity to claim hours of participation and print an official CME certificate (physicians) or certificate of participation (non-physicians) showing the event date and hours earned.
Continuing Education Credit
In support of improving patient care, the American Psychiatric Association is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physicians
The APA designates this enduring activity for a maximum of 1.5 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit ™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Faculty and Planner Disclosures
The American Psychiatric Association adheres to the ACCME’s Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Medical Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity — including faculty, planners, reviewers or others — are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). All relevant conflicts of interest have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.
Program Presenters
Program Planners
- Vishal Madaan, MD. Chief of Education and Deputy Medical Director, APA.
Accessibility for Participants with Disabilities
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Technical Requirements
This internet-based CME activity is best experienced using any of the following:
- The latest and 2nd latest public versions of Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, or Safari
- Internet Explorer 11+
This Web site requires that JavaScript and session cookies be enabled. Certain activities may require additional software to view multimedia, presentation, or printable versions of the content. These activities will be marked as such and will provide links to the required software. That software may be: Adobe Acrobat Reader, Microsoft PowerPoint, and Windows Media Player.
Optimal System Configuration:
- Browser: Google Chrome (latest and 2nd latest version), Safari (latest and 2nd latest version), Internet Explorer 11.0+, Firefox (latest and 2nd latest version), or Microsoft Edge (latest and 2nd latest version)
- Operating System: Windows versions 8.1+, Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard) +, Android (latest and 2nd latest version), or iOS/iPad OS (latest and 2nd latest version)
- Internet Connection: 1 Mbps or higher
Minimum Requirements:
- Windows PC: Windows 8.1 or higher; 1 GB (for 32-bit)/2 GB (for 64-bit) or higher RAM; Microsoft DirectX 9 graphics device with WDDM driver; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
- Macintosh: Mac OS X 10.5 or higher with latest updates installed; Intel, PowerPC G5, or PowerPC G4 (867MHz or faster) processor; 512 MB or higher RAM; audio playback with speakers for programs with video content
For assistance: Contact educme@psych.org for questions about this activity | Contact learningcenter@psych.org for technical assistance