Webinar
The designation justice-involved Veteran is used to describe former service members who are involved in the criminal justice system. Involvement in the criminal justice system can range from initial arrest to court involvement, incarceration in jail or prison, or reentry into society. The high rates of mental illness, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), substance use disorders (SUDs), and traumatic brain injury (TBI) have adversely affected more than half of justice-involved Veterans. A number of emerging best practices, programs, and standards of care have been developed to address the unique challenges faced by justice-involved Veterans. Diversion and reentry interventions have expanded access to legal services and housing, enhanced jail-diversion strategies through Veteran’s treatment courts and cultural competency training to first responders and provided reentry transition supports utilizing Veteran peer mentors. Additionally, supportive rehabilitation approaches have included specialized housing programs within jails and prisons, increasing connectedness among justice-involved Veterans.
This webinar will provide an overview of emerging best practices and systems of support for justice-involved Veterans from the “front end” or initial point of contact with first responders to the point of reentry and readjustment with support from systems, programs, and peers. A presentation from Sean Clark, national director of Veterans Justice Programs within the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), will discuss the comprehensive and preventative approach and initiatives of both the Veteran’s Justice Outreach program serving Veterans interfacing at the first intercept of the criminal justice system and programs targeting reentry into communities after long-term incarceration. Gregory Crawford, correctional program specialist at the National Institute of Corrections (NIC) within the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), will provide a unique insight into the national reforms and collaborative efforts underway within DOJ. These efforts include the Veterans Compendium Project, amplifying the work of Veterans Treatment Courts, piloting national curricula and Veterans risk needs assessment tools, and leveraging the agency’s role to bridge gaps between agencies and organizations. A presentation from Ray Lay, board member of the National Alliance on Mental Illness Indiana Board of Directors and the Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care Board of Directors and a volunteer Veteran peer support specialist with the Mental Health Intensive Case Management Team at Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center, will provide an up-close look at his own experience with the criminal justice system, illustrate the risk factors and protective factors critical to preventing recidivism, and highlight some of his success stories working as a Veteran peer mentor within the Indiana prison system.
Learning Objectives:
- Identify how mental health, substance use, and military service intersect with the criminal justice system
- Provide an overview of the current environmental factors surrounding justice-involved Veterans
- Take a trauma-informed approach to understanding the needs of justice-involved Veterans
- Explore the role of VA and its partnership with the Justice-Involved Veterans Network in identifying innovative best practices to assist justice-involved Veterans
Target Audience
Peer mentors, systems administrators, court administrators, peer support specialists, behavioral health specialists, SMVF, and justice system officials.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Please note:
- Participants will only be able to hear the webinar through their computer via headphones or speakers
- Participants are asked to test their system before the broadcast
- The webinar archive will be made available to registrants after the webinar
- Continuing education units are not available for this webinar
If you have any questions about your registration, please contact Philip Paty at (518) 439-7415, ext. 5272, or by email at ppaty@prainc.com.
Presenter Biographies
Cicely K. Burrows-McElwain, LCSW-C | Military and Veteran Affairs Liaison, National Policy Liaison Branch, Division of Regional and National Policy, Office of Policy, Planning and Innovation, SAMHSA
Ms. Burrows‐McElwain currently serves as the Military and Veteran Affairs Liaison for SAMHSA, where she focuses her efforts on strengthening cross-agency collaboration between VA, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and the U.S. Department of Defense in meeting the behavioral health needs of SMVF. Prior to her current position, she served as a Public Health Advisor in SAMHSA’s Center for Mental Health Services, National Child Traumatic Stress Initiative, as the network’s military families government liaison. She has over 20 years of experience working in rural behavioral health systems in local, state, and federal systems. In 2018, she was selected by the George W. Bush Institute to become part of the 33-member inaugural class of the Stand-To Veterans Leadership Program. Prior to joining the team at SAMHSA, she served as a clinical social worker for the VA Capitol Health Care Network (VISN 5) at the VA Maryland Healthcare System. Ms. Burrows‐McElwain is an Adjunct Lecturer for Salisbury University’s Social Work Department, teaching course content focusing on rural social work and disaster mental health. Ms. Burrows‐McElwain received her Master of Social Work from the University of Maryland, Baltimore, with a specialized focus in Clinical Services and Human Services Administration. She proudly volunteered her time as a First Lieutenant in the Maryland Military Department’s Defense Force as a clinical social worker with the 10th Medical Regiment.
Sean Clark, J.D. | National Director, Veterans Justice Programs, VA
Mr. Clark serves as National Director, Veterans Justice Programs in VA. VA’s Veterans Justice Programs include Health Care for Reentry Veterans, which provides outreach and linkage to VA services for Veterans reentering communities after long-term incarceration in state and federal prisons, and Veterans Justice Outreach, which serves Veterans involved with the “front end” of the criminal justice system (police, courts, and jails). Together, these programs are a prevention-oriented component of VA’s effort to prevent and end homelessness among Veterans, targeting the close relationship between incarceration and homelessness. Their mission also includes facilitating Veterans’ access to legal services, including by supporting the growing number of free legal clinics operating in VA facilities. Mr. Clark joined VA in 2007 as a Presidential Management Fellow. He has also served as a Special Assistant United States Attorney in Washington, DC. Mr. Clark earned his J.D. from William & Mary School of Law.
Gregory R. Crawford | Correctional Program Specialist, NIC, DOJ
Mr. Crawford is a Correctional Program Specialist at the National Institute of Corrections (NIC). In addition to a master’s degree in organizational leadership from Chapman University, he has extensive leadership and criminal justice experience, which includes more than 20 years working in a misdemeanant probation department, a community-based mental health center, and over 8 years with NIC supporting the field on a national level. At NIC, Mr. Crawford developed the Veterans Compendium Project. This project aims to provide justice-involved Veterans’ resources at every point in the criminal justice system from law enforcement, Veteran’s treatment courts, local jails, prisons, and finally, to reentry. The most recent publication for the Veterans Compendium Project focused on specialized housing units for Veterans in prisons. For the next resource in the series, he is working with American University on a publication that will address reentry for V. Further, he worked with the Center for Court Innovation to develop the first specialized set of screening and assessment tools and a case planning protocol for justice-involved Veterans. He is now working with American University and the Bureau of Justice Assistance to pilot test the tools in multiple jurisdictions with the goal of making the tools the standard for the field. Mr. Crawford also worked with the Center for Court Innovation to develop a curriculum that focuses on responsivity issues for justice-involved Veterans. The curriculum addresses military culture, service-related trauma, difficulties with the transition from military to civilian life, and helps staff build basic skills to more effectively manage the justice-involved on their caseloads. The curriculum has been piloted and is now in the process of being converted to an e-course. Mr. Crawford serves as co-chair of the American Probation and Parole Association’s Justice-Involved Veterans Committee and manages the NIC-sponsored Justice Involved-Veterans Network. In addition, he was recently appointed to the Advisory Committee on Homeless Veterans (ACHV) led by the Veterans Health Administration. His other projects include Dosage-Based Probation and providing training and technical assistance to the field. He is a U.S. Air Force Veteran and passionate about improving the lives of those who served our country.
Ray Lay | Board of Directors, NAMI Indiana; Board of Directors, Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care; Veteran Peer Support Specialist, Mental Health Intensive Case Management Team, Roudebush Veterans Affairs Medical Center; Chief Executive Officer, SMI Enterprises, LLC
Mr. Lay was first diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia at the age of 15 after being committed to a state-run mental institution. During his 3-year stay, his doctor and parents never disclosed his diagnosis. After being released, Ray joined the Marine Corps. He was a good Marine until he experienced a psychotic break (-down). He was discharged from the Marines without treatment and started self-medicating. The drugs and alcohol led Mr. Lay to an eventual charge for robbery and confinement. He was sentenced to state prison for 7 years. He left prison in 1986 and has stayed away from the criminal justice system since. However, his untreated mental health and abuse of drugs and alcohol led him into homelessness. Ultimately, Mr. Lay accessed treatment because he wanted housing. After experiencing homelessness for 10 years, he focused on becoming sober but still did not address his mental health issues. Three years later, he came to terms with his mental health condition and sought treatment. After receiving mental health treatment, VA accepted his claim and helped him move into housing. Mr. Lay recently bought a house of his own in June 2017. Today, he serves as a peer support specialist, engaging Veterans who have mental health or substance use issues to try to motivate them to get into and stay in recovery. He is also a part of the VA Medical Center’s Mental Health Intensive Case Management team. Mr. Lay serves on the Board of the Indiana Balance of State Continuum of Care and the National Alliance on Mental Illness. In September 2017, he was recognized as the Diamond Service Award Recipient for the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention’s (CHIP) Celebration, which is presented to a formerly homeless individual who has not only overcome homelessness but is giving back to individuals or the community in a meaningful way.
When: January 27, 20201 @ 1:30pm - 3:00pm
