DANGEROUS MENTALLY ILL OFFENDER PROGRAM (WA)

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Program Description
The Dangerous Mentally Ill Offender Program began in March 2000 in response to a 1999 Substitute Senate Bill by the Washington Legislature. This bill sought to improve the screening and assessment, as well as the mental health treatment, of dangerous mentally ill offenders (DMIO) released from incarceration. According to the legislation, a DMIO "has a mental disorder and has been determined to be dangerous to himself, herself, or others." For the program's purposes, the conditions for DMIO typically include the major psychoses and affective/mood disorders (not substance abuse disorders) and/ or developmental disabilities (mental retardation).

The first step in the program is identifying those that can be classified as dangerous mentally ill offenders. A multi-agency committee, known as the DMIO Committee, identifies the former offenders that qualify for the program. This statewide committee is co-chaired by the Department of Corrections (DOC) and the Mental Health Division. Members are from Community Mental Health, the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse, the Division of Developmental Disabilities, law enforcement agencies, the Regional Support Network (RSN), DOC Mental Health Program, the DOC Special Needs Unit, and the Community Designated Mental Health Professional. Referrals are based on clinical data provided by the Department of Corrections' computer database. Importantly, the "dangerousness" or the public safety risk and the individual's risk to himself or herself are considered. In other words, the committee reviews the criminal history (looking at a variety of factors such as history of crimes against persons and a history of substance abuse) and the social behavior of the candidate to determine whether or not someone is at high risk.

Once a DMIO candidate is identified, a mental health provider is contacted and the pre-release transition process starts. About six months prior to release, a mental health caseworker begins working with the individual; pre-release meetings are scheduled at 90-day, 60-day, and 30-day intervals before release with a Multi-System Care Plan (MSCP) team. The team is made up of a Risk Management Specialist, a representative from the Department of Social and Health Services, a member of the Regional Support Network, a member of the DMIO Community Protection Unit, a Community Corrections Officer, a Classification Counselor, a Community Mental Health worker, and a representative from the Division of Alcohol and Substance Abuse; others are added on an as needed basis. The MSCP team develops a transition plan with the individual in order to ensure that mental health services and other services (such as housing and transportation) are available upon release.

Program Goals
A primary goal of the DMIO program is to enhance the screening and mental health treatment of appropriate prisoners who are released from incarceration in order to improve their transition back to the community.

Networking, Partnering & Collaboration
The DMIO program collaborates with many agencies and has established many community partnerships. As indicated earlier, members of the DMIO Committee and the Transition Team are comprised of many different agencies. Other agencies and partners involved in this program are advocacy groups, victim witness advocates, and mental health provider organizations. In addition, during the transition stage, which is different for every offender, many agencies and organizations work with the offender. For example, if an offender needs vocational assistance, representatives from the Division of Vocational Rehabilitation, or a Community College, or employment assistance agency would become part of the team.

Outcomes
In 2002, the Washington State Institute for Public Policy published a preliminary report on the implementation of the DMIO law of 1999, the process of selecting DMIOs, and the treatment services provided to participants. The researchers tried to compare, whenever possible, the DMIO population (26 participants) to a comparison group. The preliminary results suggest that the DMIO program is making an improvement in providing pre-and post-release mental health and post-release chemical dependency services. For example, 83 percent of DMIO clients have received pre-release mental health treatment from community organizations/ partners compared to ten percent of the comparison group. Recidivism findings are expected in 2004.

Additional Reading
Dr. Polly Phipps and Dr. Gregg J. Gagliardi. Preliminary Report. "Implementation of Washington 's Dangerous Mentally Ill Offender Law: Preliminary Findings." Washington State Institute for Public Policy. http://www.wsipp.wa.gov/MentalIllness/pdf/Implement_DMIO_Law.pdf.

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