Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #113102

Steven Lamberti, MD, Department of Psychiatry, University of Rochester, 601 Elmwood Avenue Box PSYCH, Rochester, NY 14642, 585-275-9155, Steve_Lamberti@urmc.rochester.edu, John Crilly, PhD, MPH, MSW, Psychiatry, University of Rochester, 300 Crittenden Blvd., Rochester, NY 14642, and Virgina Hiday, PhD, Sociology and Anthropology, North Carolina State University, Campus Box 8107, Raleigh, NC 27695-8107.

Forensic assertive community treatment (FACT) is a new treatment approach that is designed to prevent unnecessary arrest and incarceration of adults with mental disorders. Such individuals who cycle through jails and prisons utilize a disproportionate share of healthcare dollars. The care of this difficult subgroup of patients represents a significant public health challenge. Little guidance is provided in the literature regarding treatment or management of people with mental disorders and criminal justice involvement. However, treating this population in a relatively similar fashion has been done in at least sixteen unconnected programs across the country. The first documented program of this treatment approach is by the author. Project Link, based in Rochester, New York is a series of specific components that can reduce recidivism and increase the viability of consumers in the community. Combining assertive community treatment (ACT) principles with a focus on jail diversion appears to have synergistic effects which were apparent in the preliminary FACT outcome studies. Based on program outcome data, the author proposes that a new model of care called Forensic Assertive Community Treatment (FACT) is emerging. However, FACT programs as they currently exist throughout the country are not a coherent model of care. Programs vary significantly in their structural components, operational procedures, and other important dimensions. What are the core elements of the FACT approach? How do these elements address putative risk factors for arrest and incarceration among adults with psychotic disorders? Finally, is FACT an emerging evidence-based practice?

Learning Objectives:

• The learning objective intended for the audience of this session is to understand the components of the FACT model, an emerging Evidence-Based Practice for this population of people with mental illness and criminal justice system involvement

Keywords: Mental Health Services, Criminal Justice

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation