Project Plan

 As discussed in the proposal the program will take at least 13 months to a year until it is operating at full capacity. The major factor in the time duration of the overall project will be the legal process. The legal process will begin locally with the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction ( DRC). The DRC is responsible for making the budget for the pineal systems in the state of Ohio. A policy of the DRC regarding mental health care is as stated “It is the policy of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) that all inmates have timely access to mental health services and that all inmates receive the appropriate screens and assessments when requested and appropriate” (DRC, 2014). Therefore it will be the purpose of this project to portray how appropriate and necessary the project is in Ohio pineal systems. The Ohio DRC has a three step process for instituting a new plan and/or solving a problem. The first step is “When problems are identified from any of the above sources, then a QIC Confidential Action Plan shall document the plan for each problem” (DRC, 2010). The QIC or Quality Improvement Coordinator is, “the individual who is responsible for the integration of all Continuous Quality Improvement programs within an assigned institution” (DRC 2010). Therefore the QIC will need to be convinced that my proposal is valid and necessary before the process can go any further. The next step states, “The MHM/MHA shall utilize the Bureau of Mental Health Services (BOMHS) Quality Improvement Monitoring and Evaluation to collect data for the three months in between quarterly meetings to determine if the action plan is achieving the intended result” (DRC, 2010). The MHM/MHA’s or Mental Health Manager/Administrator is responsible for the implementation of the Mental Health CQI activities (Mental Health Continuous Quality Improvement). The second steps three month review will leave the decision to the DRC weather or not the proposal is necessary or not. The final step is “At the next quarterly meeting, the problem shall be terminated or a new action plan can be written if the intended goal is not met” (DRC, 2010). Only if the proposal is proclaimed valid can the DRC create into action my planned proposal. There is no exact time period this legal process will take, however it is the first step necessary for starting this program. An estimated time limit on this process is 5 months, which includes the 3 month review instituted by through the DRC in the second step, along with one month added for steps first and third.

            After the red tape and legal issues are resolved there would be performed a 3 month study on the prisons in the State of Ohio to determine the extent of the mentally ill convicted. This process will entitle utilizing the DRC policy on mental health continuous quality improvement. This policy states that,

“It is the policy of the Ohio Department of Rehabilitation and Correction (DRC) that all inmates have timely access to mental health services and that all inmates receive a mental health screening upon arrival at an institution to identify those inmates with serious mental illness and inmates with other mental health needs” (DRC, 2012).

The importance of the DRC policy is that the penal system already has a system in place to recognize mental illness in inmates. For example penal institutions are required by law to institute a detailed mental health screening on all inmates and it must be completed on all inmates within fourteen calendar (14) days of their arrival at any institution by a Mental Health Professional (DRC, 2012). During this process if “it becomes known the inmate received mental health services in the community, every effort shall be made to obtain that information with the exception of inmates serving a sentence of less than 90 days”(DRC, 2012).  Therefore a quantitative research study can be performed on the 28 prisons in the state including juvenile institutions, to determine to amount of mentally ill inmates that are convicted in each institution. The quantitative research study will tally the amount of inmates in each prison that are defined as mentally ill through existing DRC policy. This study will span a three month process beginning with a one month tally the amount of mentally ill inmates convicted throughout different prisons. Next there will be an allotted 2 months to determine the amount of social workers necessary to be deployed in different institutions. This study will decide the number of social workers for the mentally ill that will be sent to prisons in the state of Ohio. The number of social workers allocated to different institutions will vary on the number of mentally ill inmates compared to the total population of each prison system.  Therefore through research and the already existing legal system if my proposal were approved penal systems would have to provide services for mentally ill inmates if they meet the appropriate guidelines.

            After the study is completed and problem institutions are determined social workers will be allocated to these institutions. This process will take 4 months and will be divided accordingly. The program will plan for two months for the social workers to become settled in their environment. During this time social workers in various prison institutions will undergo brief educational training which will overview the entire program and emphasize the importance of why social workers are needed. Training and education will also offer a brief exam to test the social workers knowledge on what they have learned in training, and if the social workers score a 90% or above they will receive their certification. 89% or below will require the individual to take the test again. After the two month training social workers for the mentally ill will be able to arrive at their different institutions, and provide much need help. One month will be allocated for social workers to become settled in their institution, and another month will be assigned  for a brief review of each institution where social workers for the mentally ill will be reviewed and interviewed to see if they are understaffed and require more help. Once the logistics are in place social workers will be able to not only help mentally ill inmates  cope with the stresses of prison, but the will also be able to speak for these individuals where they might not have been able to speak before. Through this program more knowledge will be learned by experience that will create new opportunities for mentally ill inmates and simultaneously making the prison system a more productive and safer place.

          

References

DRC. DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION AND CORRECTION, (2010). Mental health continuous quality improvement (67-MNH-17). Ohio:

DRC. DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION AND CORRECTION, (2012). Mental health screening and mental health classification (67-MNH-02). Ohio:

DRC. DEPARTMENT OF REHABILITATION AND CORRECTION, (2014). Mental health assessment activities (67-MNH-30). Ohio: