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Community-based alternatives to conviction and imprisonment for adult offenders with severe mental illness are receiving increasing attention from researchers and policy makers. After discussing the justifications that have been offered in support of community-based alternatives, this article reviews the current empirical evidence relevant to such alternatives. The authors use the sequential intercept model as a guide and summarize the existing research at several points along the criminal justice continuum. They conclude by highlighting the gaps in existing research and discussing the need for further research in several key areas.

Objective Forensic assertive community treatment (FACT) is an adaptation of the assertive community treatment model designed to prevent criminal recidivism through criminal justice collaborations. A national survey was conducted to examine FACT collaborations with probation departments. Methods Members of the National Association of County Behavioral Health and Developmental Disability Directors were surveyed to identify FACT programs. Programs reporting collaborations with probation departments were contacted to provide details. Results Fifty-six percent of FACT programs (15 of 27) reported collaborating with probation departments. Probation officers were assigned an average of 29±16 hours weekly, and 80% of programs (12 of 15) reported a favorable impact of collaboration on risk of patient rearrest. Only two programs reported using standard tools to formally assess recidivism risk. The most common barrier to collaboration was differences in philosophy between FACT team clinicians and probation officers. Conclusions FACT collaborations involving probation departments are common and are viewed by most program leaders as helpful in reducing criminal recidivism.

Professional psychology involves comprehensive training incorporating coursework, clinical experience, research, teaching, and professional development. One critical but often overlooked part of professional development is leadership experience. Developing leadership skills is likely to enhance psychology students' training and professional competence and serve to strengthen the profession as a whole. In this article, we discuss the concept of leadership with a particular focus on the role of leadership and its need in psychology. We also highlight important issues in student leadership, such as professional mentoring and multicultural diversity. We then offer recommendations to enhance student leadership development in professional psychology, including illustrative examples of how these recommendations can take place across graduate, internship, and postdoctoral settings and how leadership outcomes may be measured. Finally, we employ a case study to illustrate our recommendations in the context of a professional organization. Recommendations are broad in scope and may also be utilized to foster student leadership in the context of other psychology subdisciplines (e.g., experimental training programs). Our position is informed by the belief that it is important to conceptualize psychology students as developing leaders for the next generation of socially responsible, service-oriented psychologists.

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