Probation Supervision for People with Mental Illnesses: Impacts of and Adaptations to COVID-19

• In Event: Poster Session

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic has profoundly affected organizations and individuals nationwide, especially probation agencies and the nearly one million people on probation with mental illnesses. Literature has not yet documented the impact of COVID-19 on people with mental illnesses on probation and agencies’ approaches to supervising them.

The research team conducted and analyzed (via consensus-based general inductive coding approach) 22 interviews with probation administrators as part of a larger study about supervising people with mental illnesses. For this presentation, research team members will focus on responses related to supervising people with mental illnesses during COVID-19.

Probation administrators identified supervision challenges due to COVID-19 (e.g., reduced availability of mental health trainings for officers) and described significant impacts of COVID-19 on people with mental illnesses on probation (e.g., reduced social support, exacerbated symptoms). Agencies made multiple adaptations to operations and protocol, some of which were temporary (e.g., suspended home visits), others lasting innovations (e.g., increased collaboration with community-based service providers).

As public health guidelines evolve, adaptations that (a) provided stability and access to resources for people on probation who have mental illnesses and/or (b) promoted flexibility and collaboration among those who supervise and support people on probation should be implemented as ongoing strategies.

Authors

• Allison Waters, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Suzy Ziaii, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Makensie Disbennett, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Mariah Cowell Mercier, University of Utah

• Kyleigh Clark-Moorman, Pew Charitable Trusts

• Tracy Velázquez, Pew Charitable Trusts

• Tonya Van Deinse, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill