The Criminalization of Mental Illness:  A Discussion of Mental Health in Local, State and Federal Correctional Facilities

Dionne Hart, MD, DFAPA, FASAM
Dr. Dionne Hart completed her residency in psychiatry at Mayo Clinic in 2007. During her residency, she served as the Social Chairperson of the Mayo Fellows Association for two years and was awarded the Howard P. Rome Resident Academic Writing Award and the M.J. Martin Award. As a resident, Dr. Hart became actively involved in local, state, and national medical associations. After her residency, she completed her service commitment to the National Health Service Corps at the Federal Medical Center in Rochester, MN. In 2018, she became board certified in Addiction Medicine. 

Her advocacy efforts continued post-residency. Dr. Hart was the inaugural chair of the American Medical Association's (AMA) Minority Affairs Section. She is the first and only Black woman to serve on the Minnesota Medical Association's Board of Trustees. She is the current National Medical Association Region IV chairperson and Minnesota's state chapter president, immediate past co-President of the Zumbro Valley Medical Association, an Assembly Representative to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), an APA Delegate to the AMA, and the AMA's Representative to the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

In 2014, Dr. Hart was named Minnesota Psychiatrist of Year. In 2017, Dr. Hart received the National Alliance on Mental Illness Exemplary Psychiatrist Award. In 2022, Minnesota Physician Journal named her one of the 100 most influential health care leaders in Minnesota. She is currently a member of the Mayo Clinic Alix School of Medicine Admissions Committee and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Mayo Clinic Department of Psychiatry and Psychology.

Additional Speakers:

Paul Schnell
Paul Schnell became commissioner of the Minnesota Department of Corrections on January 7, 2019. He was appointed commissioner by Governor Tim Walz.  Commissioner Schnell brings more than 30 years of publication  safety and corrections experience to his position with the DOC.

While completing his Bachelor of Social Work degree at the University of St. Thomas, he began an internship supervising adult male offenders in a St. Paul halfway house. This internship led to a 10-year stretch of work in a variety of community-based correctional programs in the Twin Cities.

In 1993, Schnell moved from his position working with youth at Carver County Court Services to deputy sheriff for the Carver County Sheriff’s Office. In 1999, Schnell joined the Saint Paul Police Department where he served in a variety of assignments. Over the past eight years, Commissioner Schnell served as Chief of Police for the cities of Hastings and Maplewood and was the Chief of Police for the City of Inver Grove Heights at the time of his appointment to the commissioner of the DOC.  Long interested in effective intervention and prevention practices, Commissioner Schnell served as an adjunct faculty member at the University of Saint Thomas and Metropolitan State University.  In addition to a Bachelor of Social Work degree from the University of St. Thomas, Commissioner Schnell holds a Master of Arts in Organizational Leadership from St. Catherine University in St. Paul.

Nikki Niles
Nikki Niles has been in the field of law enforcement and corrections for 20 years.  She is an alumna of Michigan State University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Criminal Justice.  Ms. Niles also has a Master’s degree from the University of Cincinnati in Corrections and Rehabilitation.  She began her career in law enforcement with the East Lansing, MI police department after graduating college and completing the Mid-Michigan Police Academy.  She served as a police officer for 10 years before relocating to Minnesota. She started with Olmsted County as a probation officer supervising men and women on probation and supervised release in 2012.  In 2017, Ms. Niles was instrumental in rolling out pretrial services in Olmsted County.  In July 2020, Ms. Niles was appointed to Program Manager of the Diversity, Equity, and Community Outreach Team within corrections.  In May 2021, Ms. Niles was appointed to and where she currently serves as Director for Dodge Fillmore Olmsted Community Corrections.  Ms. Niles is from Michigan and resides in Rochester with her daughter and puppy.

Learning Objectives
Upon conclusion of this activity, participants should be able to:

• Demonstrate an understanding of the similarities and differences of practicing psychiatry in a correctional facility compared to a community facility.
• Identify the organizational structure for mental health services within Minnesota correctional facilities.
• Recognize the role of non-correctional psychiatrists in addressing the over-representation of individuals with mental illness involved in the criminal justice system.

1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™ hour is offered for watching this presentation via Zoom.  Ethos will be implemented for all post presentation surveys.  To document your attendance, please text the code given at the presentation to 507-200-3010.  For questions, email rstpsychgr@mayo.edu

Accreditation Statement
In support of improving patient care, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.

Credit Statement(s):

AMA
Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits^TM. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

APA
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibly for the content of the programs.
 

This activity is approved for a maximum of 1.00 credits. Credit is awarded only for actual instructional time.
 

ASWB
As a jointly Accredited Organization, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program.  Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program.  State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit.  Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science maintains responsibility for this course.  Social workers completing this course will receive 1.00 continuing education credits. 

Archived webcast available at: Psychiatry & Psychology Video Library

Disclosure Summary
As a provider accredited by Joint Accreditation Interprofessional Continuing Education, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science (Mayo Clinic School of CPD) must ensure balance, independence, objectivity and scientific rigor in its educational activities. Course Director(s), Planning Committee Members, Faculty, and all others who are in a position to control the content of this educational activity are required to disclose all relevant financial relationships with any commercial interest related to the subject matter of the educational activity.  Safeguards against commercial bias have been put in place.  Faculty also will disclose any off label and/or investigational use of pharmaceuticals or instruments discussed in their presentation.  Disclosure of these relevant financial relationships will be published in activity materials so those participants in the activity may formulate their own judgments regarding the presentation.

Listed below are individuals with control of the content of this program who have disclosed…

Relevant financial relationship(s) with industry:
None

No relevant financial relationship(s) with industry:
Chad Ellis, LICSW, Aimee Karstens, PhD, MA, Sydney Kelpin, PhD, Bhanu Kolla, MD, Wendy Moore, MSN, RN, NE-BC, Charlene Nelson (coordinator), Amber Pearson (coordinator), Michelle Skime, MS

Speakers:  Dionne Hart, MD; Paul Schnell, Nikki Niles

For disclosure information regarding Mayo Clinic School of Continuous Professional Development accreditation review committee member(s), please go here. 

ATTENDANCE/CREDIT
Text the session code (provided only at the session) to 507-200-3010 within 48 hours of the live presentation to record attendance.  All learners are encouraged to text attendance regardless of credit needs.  This number is only used for receiving text messages related to tracking attendance.  Additional tasks to obtain credit may be required based on the specific activity requirements and will be announced accordingly. Swiping your badge will not provide credit; that process is only applicable to meet GME requirements for Residents & Fellows. 

TRANSCRIPT
Any credit or attendance awarded from this series will appear on your Transcript.

DEPARTMENT WEBSITE
Visit the department's website for additional information.

COURSE DIRECTOR(S)
Bhanu Prakash Kolla, MD

QUESTIONS?  
Contact Charlene Nelson at ph. 5-5428 or Amber Pearson at ph. 4-5916.