The grant, administered by the Department of Health and Human Services/Health Resources and Services Administration, will serve to “screen and provide treatment and services to better assist people released from the IDOC who have Traumatic Brain Injury-related problems as they re-enter their communities,” according to a press release from the department.
Nearly 36 percent of all offenders in Indiana correctional facilities have reported TBI during their lifetimes, according to IDOC. This data was collected in fall 2012 by IDOC for an analysis by researchers at the IU Public Policy Institute.
The research also found that offenders with TBI are more likely to have psychiatric disorders — 2.2 percent more than those without TBI.
The grant will contribute to a multi-year project led by Community Solutions, the Rehabilitation Hospital of Indiana, Public Advocates in Community re-Entry, the Brain Injury Association of Indiana, and the American Institutes for Research, according to the release.
In its first year, the grant will contribute $241,630 to gathering data and educating and training correctional staff. Until 2017, the plan is for about $250,000 to be awarded each year to contribute to the project’s effort, according to the release.
The education of staff is particularly important in the case of this grant, since Indiana is the second state in the country to begin this kind of program.
Correctional staff across Indiana justice systems will be educated on the ins and outs of TBI, including how to recognize it and what resources are available to help those who suffer from the ailment, according to the release.
If it is determined that offenders have TBI, proper help will be administered, the release states.
Offenders will be provided the opportunity to work with Resource Facilitation to control their TBI, and the American Institutes for Research will conduct evaluations to determine whether offenders will return to incarceration depending on if they find employment and if they function better post-treatment.
Anicka Slachta
