It is an honor to stand with such esteemed colleagues in an effort to inform public policy! You can read the full report here.
 Download the pre-print here. Abstract: Forensic e-mental health is an area of psychology that is relatively underdeveloped considering technological advancements and the many mental health needs of justice-involved individuals. It includes the procurement, storage, sharing, and provision of forensic mental health information and services via electronic means and is associated with improved accessibility, efficiency, cost-savings, and safety. During the COVID-19 pandemic, clinics, hospitals, jails, prisons, and the courts rapidly adopted these modalities for service continuity out of necessity, rather than choice. In the absence of formal guidelines, practitioners, researchers, and policy makers were left searching for answers: what forensic e-mental health technologies are available, what was their research evidence, and what could the future hold? A “primer” covering the many aspects of technology-assisted forensic practice and research was overdue. To address this knowledge gap, we reviewed the e-mental health research base encompassing forensic evaluations and interventions. Considering stakeholders’ needs, cost, and feasibility, we prioritized key topics that should rise to the top of the forensic e-mental health research agenda: the psychometric properties of forensic e-mental health assessments, impact of video recording evaluations, how to assess and treat diverse populations, restoration of competence to proceed, continuum of care, minimizing treatment attrition, and decreasing substance use. We report how to plan for and overcome logistical hurdles when implementing forensic e-mental health policy, utilize technology for training and education, and harness digitized data across the forensic realm. In conclusion, we find that there is ample opportunity for leveraging technology to improve forensic mental health practice, research, and policy.
Haley won an AP-LS Student Grant-in-Aid (MacArthur mechanism) to conduct the research, and an AP-LS student travel award to present it in NOLA in 2020! After she finished her presentation today, one of her impressed committee members said, "This is not normal." Congrats on being a weirdo Haley!  From the HDREP website:
Scholars are mentored in research training and career development and take courses on bioethics, biostatistics, epidemiology, and minority aging. There is an intensive grant writing retreat during which each participant presents a grant proposal that may be submitted to an external funding agency, and receives critical feedback to increase fundability. Scholars who complete the program requirements may be eligible to apply for pilot funding to start their project. The program is sponsored by the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Center, the Comprehensive Center for Healthy Aging, the MHRC, Creighton University, Morehouse School of Medicine, Tuskegee University, University of Alabama, University of South Alabama, and UAB. Additional support comes from the National Institute on Aging, the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, and the National Cancer Institute. |
