Centurion Health serves diverse populations of persons involved in the criminal justice system in a wide range of settings. While the majority of our programs serve persons incarcerated in detention centers and correctional institutions, we serve in various community-based programs as well.
Serving in Our Communities
As the goal of many justice reform initiatives has been to serve more and more persons in the community, instead of in traditional prison facilities, Centurion Health strives to be on the forefront of innovative initiatives to generate better outcomes at the community level.
Long track record of being a valuable collaborative partner.
Providing clinic-based programs, court-based outpatient and diversion programs, competency restoration services, recidivism reduction, and support services.
Working with court systems, departments of correction, probation and parole agencies, and departments of mental health.
California Department of State Hospital Conditional Release Program (CONREP)
The CONREP program provides community based supportive services for former patients of state hospitals. In our current CONREP program, Centurion Health provides community-based mental health treatment and supervision services to 18 counties to the designated population of judicially committed individuals under the following categories:
- Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity
- Incompetent to Stand Trial
- Mentally Disordered Sex Offender
- Offender with a Mental Disorder
Connecticut Alternative in the Community Program
Since 2010, Centurion Health has partnered with the Connecticut Judicial Branch, Court Support Services Division (JBCSSD) to provide community-based support clinics for assigned population and treatment and life support services for five Alternative in the Community (AIC) centers across the state.
At these centers, Centurion Health employs a variety of mental health professionals, including forensic psychologists, social workers, neuropsychologists, clinical and forensic psychiatrists, case-managers, and other licensed mental health professionals who have been specially trained to work with behaviorally challenging, high-risk populations. In addition, Centurion Health employs a variety of educational and rehabilitation professionals who have experience working within the criminal justice system. Our personnel understand the complicated nature of the work with persons involved with the courts and the need for a multidisciplinary team management model that promotes interagency collaboration.
Massachusetts DMH Court Clinics – Forensic Health Services
Since 2008, Centurion Health has provided forensic evaluations and consultations to the Massachusetts Department of Mental Health court by clinicians for court actions and petitions, mental health, and mental health substance abuse issues. Under separate contracts with the Department of Mental
Health (DMH), Centurion Health’s Forensic Health Services team provides evaluation services for adult courts, including Specialty Courts, in the Central and Metro Boston, Northeast and Southeast Areas of the state.
Specialty Courts is a specialty court session designed to improve outcomes for individuals who are veterans and or who have mental health and substance use disorders that are involved in the criminal justice system. Centurion Health is responsible for providing clinical staff for the Court Clinics, as well as providing program management and administrative oversight.
Centurion Health court clinicians are responsible for evaluating mentally ill individuals brought before the Courts on criminal and civil matters in order to determine appropriate dispositions and to refer them to needed services.
Staff clinicians such as licensed clinical social workers conduct voluntary evaluations, aid in sentencing, and emergency restraint of dangerous persons. All staff clinicians perform non-statutory evaluations in cases in which there is a question of mental illness. In these cases, the focus is on determining whether mental illness is present, defining treatment needs for those with mental illness, and suggesting appropriate services in the community. Staff clinicians provide referral, consultation, and liaison services to the professional staff and families involved in the criminal justice system, mental health system, substance abuse system, social service system, and medical system.
Explore Careers in Community Based Services
Are you ready to make a meaningful impact in your community? Together, we can transform our communities for the better by going beyond patient care.
What’s New in Community Based Services
Frequently Asked Questions
What is correctional healthcare?
Correctional healthcare broadly refers to ensuring access to, and the delivery of, a broad array of healthcare services to incarcerated persons in correctional facilities (i.e., prisons, jails).
What services are provided in correctional healthcare?
Incarcerated persons must be afforded access to medical, dental, and mental health services provided by qualified healthcare professionals and services are held to similar standards as healthcare services in the community. Services are typically provided on site in the healthcare clinic areas of correctional facilities by teams of physicians, dental professionals, nurses, mental health professionals, and other healthcare providers across the broad spectrum of healthcare specialties. Services include primary care clinics, chronic care clinics, dental services, urgent care services, psychiatry, psychology, and physical and other rehabilitative therapies, patient education, and more. Patients requiring highly specialized services or hospitalization are transported to hospitals and specialists in the community.
What are the biggest challenges in correctional healthcare?
Incarcerated persons have often had little or no access to healthcare services prior to incarceration and can present with a wide range of complex needs and co-morbid conditions, making their initial contact with healthcare staff a key component to their initial screening and placement within the correctional system. The safety and security protocols of correctional facilities take precedence over all else, which can sometimes interfere with the delivery of healthcare services. However, healthcare professionals working in correctional facilities are viewed as key personnel and vital to the day to day operations of a correctional facility. Some of the biggest challenges in correctional healthcare include managing the complex healthcare needs of a large inmate population, ensuring safety and security, and addressing mental health issues.
How does healthcare in correctional facilities differ from healthcare outside?
Healthcare in correctional facilities goes beyond patient care and is part of a larger effort to rehabilitate incarcerated persons and prepare them for their successful return to the community. Many incarcerated persons have complex medical and/or mental health needs that will persist after their release, making the role of the healthcare professionals key to their long-term success after release.
Over 95% of people presently incarcerated will return to the community. The healthcare and rehabilitative services they receive while incarcerated has a direct impact on their success.
A Wide Array of Solutions
As a leading national provider of comprehensive services to correctional systems, Centurion Health offers a wide array of solutions including chronic disease management, mental health support and facility specific correctional medical services. Together we can work together as a united force for positive change, embracing society’s greatest challenges for a better tomorrow.
Beyond Patient Care
Find Out How We Can Help With Your Patient Care Needs
Ready to enhance patient care in your facilities? We are humbled by the opportunity to serve alongside you and the meaningfulness of the services you provide for the health and safety of our communities. Contact Centurion Health today to discover how our specialized healthcare solutions can meet your unique needs.
