Fractured: A Virtual Film Screening and Discussion on Mental Health and the Criminal Legal System
Virtual Film Screening
May 21, 2024, 4:00 PM - 5:30 PM EST
Join the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy and FRONTLINE PBS for the "Fractured" film screening and discussion event.
This new FRONTLINE PBS documentary explores the plight of defendants with serious mental illness who are found incapable to proceed to trial on criminal charges. They can wait for over a year for the care they need just so their cases can move forward. The film reveals how the failures of our mental health system affect the most vulnerable and its implications for everyone who needs care. A panel and Q&A will follow the screening. The panel will include Dana Ervin, a journalist who has written on the competency system for years, and was instrumental in this documentary. The program offers an opportunity to discuss issues presented in the documentary and gain insight into the efforts to address mental health issues in America. Participants can earn up to 1.5 APA-approved CEUs.
Sponsored by the Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy, Denver University, FRONTLINE PBS, Firelight Media, and WFAE Charlotte NPR. The investigation and radio broadcast series were produced in collaboration with FRONTLINE as part of its Local Journalism Initiative. The initiative is funded through a $3 million grant from the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation and a $1 million grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of the program, participants will be able to:
Explain the concept of "competency to stand trial" and its implications for defendants with serious mental illness and cognitive deficits.
Discuss the impact of the “competency crisis” on the criminal justice system, including increased demand for competency evaluations and restoration services.
Recognize the consequences of insufficient mental health care access for individuals found incompetent to stand trial, such as prolonged incarceration and deterioration of mental health.
Identify potential solutions and best practices for addressing the mental health crisis within the criminal justice system, such as diversion programs and improved access to treatment.
Examine the role of policymakers, mental health professionals, and the public in advocating for reform and increased resources to address the mental health crisis.
Panelists
Virginia Barber-Rioja, PhD, obtained her Ph.D. in clinical forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice of the City University of New York. For eight years, she worked in the NYC jail system holding the positions of Co-Chief and Clinical Director of Mental Health for Correctional Health Services/NYC Health + Hospitals. She also worked as Assistant Chief of Forensic Services overseeing all the competency to stand trial evaluations in the NYC court system. Prior to this, Dr. Barber worked as a staff psychologist in forensic inpatient hospitals and as the clinical director of diversion and reentry programs. Currently, Dr. Barber-Rioja consults for the Center for Justice Innovation as a Senior Clinical Policy Advisor and for correctional systems across the country. She also maintains an independent forensic practice involving training and forensic assessment in immigration, state, and federal courts. She is an adjunct assistant professor in the Psychology Department of New York University and the Department of Counseling and Clinical Psychology of Teachers College, Columbia University. She has over 20 years of experience working in correctional and forensic contexts, including jails, forensic hospitals, and alternative to incarceration and reentry programs. She has published in peer-reviewed journals and is the first author of the book “Mental Health Evaluations in Immigration Court: A Guide for Mental Health and Legal Professionals” published by NYU Press, and the first editor of the “Handbook of Mental Health Assessment and Treatment in Jails” published by Oxford Press. She is an elected Member-At-Large of the American Psychology Law Society (APLS), a board member of the Asociación Iberoamericana de Justicia Terapéutica and a former elected member of the American Psychological Association’s Committee on Legal Issues (COLI).
Dana Ervin Ervin is an award-winning journalist who has worked at “60 Minutes,” CNBC, “CBS This Morning” and “Nightline.” She has three Emmy Awards for investigative reporting and research, as well as a Peabody Award and an Alfred I. DuPont Award. Ervin has also served as a senior, nonpartisan investigator for the U.S. House Appropriations Committee.
Neil Gowensmith, PhD, is a core faculty member at the University of Denver’s Graduate School of Professional Psychology, teaching exclusively in the Masters of Forensic Psychology program. In 2014, he created and became the director of the department’s forensic mental health institute, The University of Denver’s Forensic Institute for Research, Service, and Training (Denver FIRST). Denver FIRST now operates a postdoctoral fellowship, an outpatient competence restoration program, and a robust forensic evaluation service. Dr. Gowensmith has worked in prisons, jails, courts, community mental health centers, and mental health hospitals throughout his career. From 2006-2012 he served as the Chief of Forensic Services for the State of Hawaii, helping lead Hawaii out of federal oversight and implementing innovative and evidence-based community forensic policies and programs. He continues to serve as a national expert in forensic mental health, with consultation, research, and practice focusing specifically on outpatient competence restoration, standards for forensic evaluators, conditional release of insanity acquittees, and public forensic mental health systems. His research focuses primarily on competence to stand trial, bias in forensic evaluation, and public forensic mental health. Along with the other presenters, he consults with state forensic mental health systems, particularly around competence services, and he (along with Dr. Murrie) serves as a federally-appointed “special master” overseeing reform of the competence system in Colorado.
Lauren Kois, PhD, is a clinical and forensic psychologist based at the University of Virginia’s (UVA) Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy (ILPPP). She is an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences in the UVA School of Medicine. Previously, she served as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology at the University of Alabama, teaching undergraduate and graduate students, conducting psychology and law research, and supervising the forensic assessment training clinic. Her research, clinical, and consulting activities center on forensic mental health services and systems, and specifically those concerning competence to stand trial and the "competence crisis." She has obtained over $1.5 million in federal and state funding as Principal Investigator to conduct research in forensic facilities, jails, and mental health courts. She continues to work with state systems to develop and implement novel, evidence-informed competence restoration programming for people with psychotic disorders and cognitive deficits. Her work is published in peer-reviewed journals such as Law and Human Behavior; Psychology, Public Policy, and Law; International Journal of Forensic Mental Health; Professional Psychology: Research and Practice; and Psychiatric Services. In 2023 she was the recipient of the American Psychology-Law Society (APA Div. 41) and American Academy of Forensic Psychology's Saleem Shah Early Career Development Award as well as the Psychologist in Public Service (APA Div. 18) Criminal Justice Division's Early Career Achievement Award.
Daniel Murrie, PhD, serves as Director of the University of Virginia’s (UVA) Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy (ILPPP). He is also a Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobehavioral Sciences in the UVA School of Medicine, and an instructor in the UVA School of Law. He oversees the ILPPP’s training programs in forensic evaluation and the postdoctoral fellowship in forensic psychology. As a clinician, he performs forensic evaluations through the ILPPP’s Forensic Clinic, particularly evaluations of adjudicative competence and evaluations in capital (death penalty) proceedings. Along with the other presenters, he consults with state forensic mental health systems, particularly around competence services, and he (along with Dr. Gowensmith) serves as a federally appointed “special master” overseeing reform of the competence system in Colorado. As a scholar, his research and teaching address a variety of topics in forensic psychology, particularly topics addressing reliability, bias, and quality improvement in forensic evaluation. He is currently President of the American Psychology-Law Society (Division 41 of the American Psychological Association).
Neither the instructors nor the program planning committee (Neil Gowensmith, PhD, Lauren Kois, PhD, or Daniel Murrie, PhD) have any conflicts of interest or commercial support to disclose.
Continuing Education
Participants can expect to receive up to 1.5 hours of continuing education credits (CEUs) approved by the American Psychological Association (APA). ILPPP is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. ILPPP maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
You must join by 4:00 pm and stay for the duration of the presentation in order to receive the CE credits.
CE credits are applicable for licensed psychologists; other disciplines will need to check the relevant statutes and guidance regarding whether or not this can count towards any CE requirement.
Training Fees
FREE
How to Register
Scroll to the top of the page to register via the Eventbrite checkout.
Cancellation Policy
You may cancel your registration up to 7 days before the event starts. Your confirmation email will have information on how to cancel.
