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Pennsylvania Forensic Interagency Task Force

It is a well documented fact that there are more persons with a serious mental illness being treated in our penal institutions then there are in our state mental hospitals. Today there are over 10,000 individuals with mental illness being treated in our state correctional facilities while the state mental hospital population is under 3,000. The PA FITF was establablished in July 1996 to bring together statewide community organizations, law enforcement and governmental agencies responsible for and interested in forensic issues and programs on mental illness and a co-occurring substance abuse issues. The task force is intentionally structure informally to encourage and foster open and frank discussion of issues which cross agency boundaries and responsibilities. The task force also acts as a conduit for information sharing of programs and ideas of interest to its members.

Goals of the task force:
1. To advocate for and encourage use of front end diversion programs to prevent unnecessary criminalization of persons with a serious mental illness and a co-occurring substance abuse problem.

2. To ensure appropriate and quality care is afforded to persons with a serious mental illness and a co-occurring subsance abuse problem who are incarcerated in our prisons and jails.

3. To encourage use of effective reintegration programs and services for persons being released from our prisons and jails to reduce recidivism.

Pennsylvania Forensic Interagency Task Force Membership List:

Pennsylvania Board of Probation and Parole

Philadelphia Mental Health Care Corporation

County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania

National Alliance on Mental Illness of Pennsylvania

Department of Public Welfare Office of Mental Retardation

Allegheny County Department of Human Services

Pennsylvania Department of Corrections

Department of Public Welfare Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse

Department of Health Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs

Mental Health/Mental Retardation Administration Association

Pennsylvania Community Providers Association

Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency

Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers Association

Accomplishments

1. Brought together a diversive group of advocates, providers of service, professionals and local and state govermental agencies to discuss a wide range of issues related to mental health and substance abuse services.
   a. Developed working relationships, communications and cooperation among agencies which may not have otherwise occurred.
   b. Developed working relationships, communications and cooperation amoung state government agencies which may not have otherwise occurred.
   c. Fosters the need for integrated services between the mental health, mental retardation and substance abuse systems.
2. Led to the development of four innovative transition reintegration programs for mentally ill offenders being released from state correctional institutions. Two sponsored by the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol Programs. These programs are located in Allegheny and Erie Counties. There are two programs sponsored by the Department of Corrections. One of these programs is in Philadelphia; the other one in Allegheny County is just getting started. The Department of Corrections is considering another program in the Philadelphia area.
3. NAMI Pennsylvania conducted six one day cross training sessions related to these programs. The training was designed to provide provider staff, probation and parole, corrections and mental health/drug and alcohol professionals with an overview of mental illness and a co-occuring drug and alcohol problem an understanding of each others disciplines and foster communications and close working relationships among the various disciplines.
4. Led to the elimination of classifying persons with mental illness as high risk for Board of Probation and Parole consideration.
5. Received grants from the Bureau of Drug and Alcohol services for the past three years to perform a wide range of services. The current grant work statement:
   a. To support the work of the Pennsylvania Forensic Interagency Task Force.
   b. Conduct training sessions related to the transitional reintegration programs.