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Mental Illnesses & Developmental Disabilities Training

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While exact numbers may be hard to authenticate, many research studies over the years have concluded that individuals with mental illnesses and/or disabilities experience crime victimization at much higher rates than the general population. Understanding the unique dynamics of providing services to a person with mental health and developmental disabilities is key to building strong community partnerships.

This training is centered on principles developed by assessing training tools and resources that focus on various aspects of the victimization of individuals with mental illnesses and/or disabilities. It will cover many aspects of victimization against individuals with mental illnesses and/or disabilities, including the prevalence of victimization, barriers to receiving services, and crisis intervention teams and includes research conducted by the Office for Victims of Crime and the Vera Institute of Justice.

Goal and Objectives:
  • Understand the definition of mental illness, including serious mental illness, and disability, as well as various mental illness and disability diagnoses.
  • Recognize the high prevalence of crime victimization among individuals who have mental illnesses and/or disabilities compared to the general population and the reasoning behind the disparity.
  • Identify barriers that victims of crime with disabilities may face in attempting to receive services, and the reasoning behind why these barriers tend to exist.
  • Analyze different methods and considerations that should be taken into account when assisting and interacting with victims of crime who have a disability, including what to do in the first response and follow-up services.
Intended Audience:

Law enforcement and prosecutors

TTA Format: Available in person and virtually
Length:

This training is designed to be presented as a whole or in parts as deemed most relevant to the site.

Agenda:
  • Defining Mental Illness (MI) and Disability
  • Complying with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
  • Victimization risk for individuals with disabilities
  • Crime victimization and mental illnesses
  • Barriers to receiving services
SMEs/Trainers:

The training will be presented by the project partners for the “Supporting Crime Victims with Disabilities Online Training Toolkit.”