Workshop 4E: Native Hawaiian Perspectives on Forensic Mental Health

Dr. Kimo Alameda and a panel of distinguished practioners will discuss important issues on forensic mental health from a cultural perspective. These issues include the potential for improving services to Native Hawaiians through the integration of cultural solutions with evidence-based practices developed by Western researchers and practioners.

Workshop 4B: Issues, Challenges, and HOPE for Youth with Behavioral Health Disorders in the Juvenile Justice System

Youth experiencing behavioral health disorders caught up in the Juvenile Justice System are at high risk of adult incarceration. What are their issues and challenges, and importantly, what are the promising practices emerging to give them hope? Speakers representing sectors from the streets to courts to diversion share their insights.

Workshop 4A: The Application of Forensic Best Practices: Who, What, Where, and How

To achieve recovery goals and avoid further contact with the criminal justice system, persons with mental illnesses need access to effective treatment and support. However, evidence-based practices (EBPs) for justice involved clients require modifications. EBPs with the potential to produce positive public safety outcomes will be presented, and adaptations will be discussed.

Workshop 3C: Mental Health Calendars and Mental Health Courts

This session will offer a forum in which the participants will learn about and provide input into the judicial system’s response to persons with mental illness at the misdemeanor and felony levels. Discussion will center upon: What are Mental Health Calendars and Courts? What’s the difference? Who, in Hawai‘i, has these? How do they work? What are the benefits? What are the obstacles? Some discussion of national trends in these areas will be offered.

Workshop 3B: The Past, Present, and Future Development of the Department of Public Safety’s Mental Health Services

Representatives from the Department of Public Safety will discuss present and future efforts to improve services to detainees with mental health disorders. The discussion will focus on the improvement in the process of identification and assessment of detainees with mental health disorders, programs, interventions and dispositional planning. Challenges in changes, development and operationalization of new policies and procedures, as well as the need for ongoing orientation and training in a correctional environment will be outlined. The panel will present the status and outcomes from collaborations with other federal, state and provider agencies, as well as examine potential new directions of service development for offenders with mental health disorders.

Workshop 2C: Hale Imua and K-Fit: Collaborations and innovations in specialized forensic community programs

This workshops describes Hale Imua and K-Fit, two highly successful community-based forensic programs that integrate housing, treatment, psycho-social rehabilitation, substance abuse treatment, and forensic programming. Hale Imua is designed to accommodate people released to the community on a Conditional Release, while KFit targets individuals released on conditions as Unfit to Proceed with Trial. Speakers will describe the unique make-up of each program, as well as highlight the excellent outcome data for these nationally-recognized programs.

Workshop 2B: Current Practices in Assessing Risk for Violence

The current state of dangerousness assessment (or assessing risk for violence) is far removed from the dark corners of clinical guesswork. This session will investigate and highlight current, empirically-based methodologies that greatly improve the predictive and contextual accuracy of violence risk assessment. Ethical issues will also be considered.