Criminal Justice

Victims of crime represent a significant and often overlooked portion of the community. Their encounters with law enforcement can have lasting effects—either reinforcing a sense of safety and trust or deepening the trauma they’ve experienced.

While most officers receive training in crisis response and de-escalation, these approaches often focus on managing behavior rather than addressing the emotional and psychological needs of victims. This course helps strengthen connections by focusing on better communication, fostering trust, and reducing the risk of re-victimization. It's designed to support and empower everyone involved.

You will gain the knowledge, awareness, and practical tools needed to respond to victims with empathy, professionalism, and effectiveness—ultimately improving outcomes for both individuals and the broader community.

An estimated 1 in 69 adult U.S. residents were under community supervision at the end of 2021 (Bureau of Justice Statistics, 2023). Community supervision of justice involved individuals is an important component of the criminal justice system. This course equips Colorado parole officers, probation officers, and community correction workers with knowledge and skills to identify and address the behavioral health needs of individuals under supervision. Parole officers, probation officers, and community correction workers will examine how utilizing the Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) Model in combination with tailoring supervision strategies can reduce recidivism. By leveraging community health resources alongside the RNR Model, officers can more accurately match individuals to appropriate services, reduce recidivism, and support safer, more successful transitions back into the community. This course will have an emphasis on identifying the Need and Responsivity Principles for effective matching of services and resources. Topics include recognizing co-occurring mental health disorders, substance use disorders, and applying trauma-informed care strategies. Upon conclusion of the course, participants will be better prepared to promote recovery in community supervision settings.

People who are incarcerated often face significant challenges when released, including limited employment opportunities, lack of housing and healthcare, as well as dealing with the social stigma and lasting impacts of unfair treatment in society. Reentering the community and reuniting with family can also be stressful for everyone involved. Training family members can positively influence reentry by providing you with the knowledge and tools needed to navigate the reentry process, minimize conflict, and create a stable, supportive environment for your family.

This introductory course is designed for anyone who works with, or may encounter, justice-involved individuals, providing essential tools to recognize and respond to suicide risk. Using the Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) as a framework, the course focuses on identifying risk factors, recognizing key warning signs, and applying crisis management strategies at critical intercept points. While relevant across various justice settings, this training places a stronger emphasis on suicide risk within jails, where individuals often experience heightened vulnerability.

People in jail or prison are over 10 times more likely to have a substance use disorder (SUD) than the general population.

As a behavioral health professional working with individuals who are incarcerated, your role in addressing this disparity is critical. This course provides an overview of how incarceration affects SUD treatment needs, examines both pharmacological and psychosocial treatment approaches, and underscores the importance of maintaining continuity of care across transitions.

Throughout the course, you will gain knowledge that will help you to provide more effective care and treatment for individuals with SUD in correctional settings, ultimately leading to better health outcomes during incarceration and after release.