April
12, 2017
W.Va. begins
crisis intervention training for prisons, jails
CHARLESTON, W.Va. -- Crisis intervention teams will soon
focus on safely defusing and de-escalating incidents involving West Virginia
inmates with mental illness, aided by a training grant awarded to the Division
of Corrections.
DOC successfully
applied for the technical assistance grant from the National Institute of
Corrections last year. Through it, an initial class of correctional officers
will receive 40 hours of intensive training adapted from the Memphis Model for
crisis intervention.
The state’s prison
system is also providing mental health first aid training, developed by the
National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, for all correctional officers and
facility staff. This training will complement the Crisis Intervention Team
(CIT) approach, and began in March. The initial CIT training is scheduled for
May.
“The Division of
Corrections is pleased to be taking the initiative to implement best practices
in conjunction with the National Institute of Corrections and the National
Alliance for the Mentally Ill that will provide correctional employees with the
skills to successfully defuse situations involving mentally ill or emotionally
disturbed persons,” said Acting Corrections Commissioner Loita Butcher. “We
believe that this initiative will result in a safer environment for our
employees and the inmates in our custody.”
The Memphis Police
Department, mental health professionals and advocates, and university
researchers developed the crisis intervention model. Thousands of law
enforcement agencies around the country rely on its approach and specialized
training to assist individuals with mental illness during a crisis event in a
way that decreases the chance for violence or injury.
DOC officials learned
of the model, as modified for correctional settings, while receiving
best-practices training on a related topic: the appropriate use of restricted
housing, which includes solitary confinement.
“We are in ongoing
conversations with experts and peers across the nation looking for the best,
current thinking and practices on a variety of issues related to the issue of
restrictive housing,” said Deputy Corrections Commissioner Mike Coleman. “The
safe resolution of incidents involving inmates with some type of mental crisis
or emotional disturbance is an area of emphasis for the team that is leading
this initiative. Our goal is to provide a safer way to resolve these incidents
for everyone involved.”
The CIT training class
will include correctional officers with the Regional Jail and Correctional
Facility Authority, which like DOC is part of the Department of Military
Affairs and Public Safety.
The first aid training
emphasizes recognizing signs and symptoms of mental illness, and aims to help
staff avoid escalating potential crisis situations. Everyone assigned to a DOC
facility will receive this training if their duties bring them into direct daily
contact with inmates.
“These training
initiatives advance the core mission of enhancing public safety by providing
safe, secure, and humane correctional facilities,” said Military Affairs and
Public Safety Secretary Jeff Sandy. “I applaud our Division of Corrections for
recognizing the need and then pursuing and implementing programs to meet that
challenge.”
# #
#