4 Hours / 4 CEs

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on AAFP: The Psychologist in Correctional Settings is presented by Robin Timme, PsyD, ABPP in partnership with the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP).

The U.S. has the highest incarceration rate among independent democracies, with mass incarceration disproportionately affecting BIPOC communities and creating significant public health concerns. Incarcerated individuals experience drastically higher rates of HIV, Hepatitis C, substance use disorders, and serious mental illness. The phenomenon of transinstitutionalization has shifted people with serious mental illness from hospitals to jails, complicating mental health care in correctional settings.

Psychologists play critical roles in providing screening, assessment, crisis intervention, and treatment within these complex environments. Courts have affirmed the constitutional right to adequate care, driving improvements in correctional mental health services. More recently, attention has turned to upstream diversion efforts, reentry support, and the broader criminal legal system, as described in the Sequential Intercept Model.

Psychologists are also increasingly involved in addressing the mental health crisis among correctional officers, who face high rates of PTSD, distress, and suicide. Broader reform efforts, spurred by the COVID pandemic and opioid crisis, have expanded access to treatments like MAT and MOUD and prompted Medicaid policy changes to support reentry care.

Overall, correctional psychology offers vital, clinically rich opportunities to serve marginalized populations and shape systems at the intersection of public health and public safety.

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this training, participants will be able to:

  • 1 Describe the evolving landscape of jails and prisons and the intersections of public health and public safety
  • 2 Describe the clinical functions of psychologists within correctional facilities, including the role of clinical-forensic assessment and treatment
  • 3 Describe the role of evolving policy decisions impacting service delivery, potential eligibility for third-party reimbursement, and the future of correctional mental health
  • 4 Describe unique ethical dilemmas commonly faced by psychologists working within jails and prisons

  • Intended Audience

    This training is intended for mental health professionals who are interested in or currently working with justice-involved populations, particularly those specializing in correctional, forensic, or clinical psychology, as well as related mental health fields focused on individuals within the criminal legal system.

    Examples of Relevant Professionals:

    • Mental Health Professionals
    • Psychologists (clinical, correctional, or forensic)
    • Licensed Professional Counselors
    • Social Workers
    • Marriage and Family Therapists
    • Substance Use Counselors
    • Psychiatric Nurses
    • Case Managers working with justice-involved populations

  • Experience Level

    This training is designed for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience working in correctional and forensic settings.

    • Beginner: Participants are new to correctional mental health or have limited experience with incarcerated populations and seek foundational knowledge about clinical roles, systemic factors, and ethical considerations in jails and prisons.

    • Intermediate: Participants have some experience providing mental health services in correctional or forensic settings and are looking to deepen their understanding of clinical-forensic functions, policy impacts, and complex case presentations.

    • Advanced: Participants have extensive experience in correctional or forensic mental health and are interested in advanced topics such as policy advocacy, program development, and addressing emerging ethical and systemic challenges.

  • Practice Setting

    The Practice is situated in secure, legally regulated, high‑acuity behavioral health systems serving justice‑involved individuals across the criminal legal continuum. Clinicians work in multidisciplinary, resource‑constrained environments to deliver screening, assessment, crisis intervention, and treatment, address significant health disparities, coordinate diversion and reentry care, and support correctional staff wellness.

    Examples of Practice Settings:

    • County jails and state/federal prisons
    • Forensic psychiatric units and competency restoration programs
    • Problem-solving and mental health courts
    • Diversion initiatives and crisis stabilization centers
    • Community reentry clinics integrated with probation/parole
    • Substance use treatment programs providing MAT/MOUD within corrections
    • Correctional staff wellness and employee assistance programs
Presented By

Robin Timme, Psy.D., ABPP

Principal and Senior Expert

Board-Certified in Forensic Psychology

Falcon Correctional and Community Services, Inc.

Robin Timme is a forensic psychologist working at the intersection of public health and public safety. He is licensed as a Psychologist in Maryland, Pennsylvania, and Delaware, and holds certificates from the Psychological Interjurisdictional Compact Commission (PsyPact) with Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (APIT) and a Temporary Authorization to Practice (TAP) allowing practice as a psychologist in 36 additional states and territories. Dr. Timme is a Senior Expert with Falcon Correctional and Community Services, Inc., where he provides consultation to facilities and systems committed to evolving access to justice and healthcare. In that capacity, Dr. Timme assists jurisdictions with reimagining the role of public safety as it relates to public health, aiming to improve justice outcomes and equity for justice-involved individuals. These efforts include provision of subject matter expertise to architects and engineers planning and designing jails and prisons to meet the needs of those accessing care within; systemwide assessment and technical assistance for interdisciplinary recommendations; support for remedial plan implementation and expert witness engagements; and delivery of educational workshops and training for healthcare and correctional staff.

Dr. Timme’s research interests include reducing the reliance on jails for those in behavioral health crises; reducing and eliminating use of solitary confinement within jails and prisons; and addressing the impact of toxic stress and trauma on those living and working across the justice system. Board-certified in forensic psychology, Dr. Timme also specializes in addressing questions before criminal courts across the country. He performs evaluations of competency to stand trial, mental state at the time of an alleged offense, violence risk appraisal, sentencing evaluations, and other questions incorporating psychology and the law. 

Dr. Timme holds master’s degrees in education and criminal justice, in addition to a doctoral degree in clinical psychology from the Institute for Graduate Clinical Psychology at Widener University. He completed his post-doctoral fellowship in forensic psychology at Central State Hospital in Petersburg, Virginia, with didactic training in forensic evaluation through the Institute for Law, Psychiatry and Public Policy (ILPPP) at the University of Virginia. Dr. Timme achieved board-certification in forensic psychology by the American Board of Professional Psychology (ABPP) and is a Diplomate of the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP). He is a Certified Correctional Health Professional with a Mental Health specialty (CCHP-MH) and an Advanced (CCHP-A) stamp through the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC) and serves on professional committees through NCCHC, the American Correctional Association (ACA), the Delaware Psychological Association, and currently serves on the Coordinating Body to guide planning for the Public Health Emergency Preparedness (PHEPR) Center in Region 3 (MD, VA, WV, PA, DE, and DC) under the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security.

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Who is incarcerated today?
    Rates of medical and behavioral health conditions in jails and prisons
    Prevalence of serious mental illness, suicide, and extreme states
    Case studies of individuals evaluated in jails and prisons

  • Systemic factors leading to health disparities in jails and prisons
    Using Sequential Intercept Model to demonstrate relationship between systems
    Social determinants of health as predictors of incarceration
    Protective and Adverse Childhood Experiences (PACES)

  • Clinical opportunities for mental health professionals
    Screening, assessment, triage, crisis stabilization, treatment planning, psychotherapy, interdisciplinary consultation
    Examples of cases within jails and prisons

  • Emerging opportunities across settings of public health and public safety
    Intersection between clinical and forensic roles (i.e., competency)
    Using clinical-forensic functions to inform decision-making
    Focus on the wellness of those who work inside jails and prisons
    Advocacy and policy implications

  • Unique ethical considerations working inside jails and prisons
    Cases present as uniquely challenging – case studies
    The concept of dual loyalty and the influence of the institution on the clinician

We are proud to partner with

American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP)

American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP)

We are proud to partner with the American Academy of Forensic Psychology (AAFP) for this training. AAFP is a non-profit organization of board-certified forensic psychologists whose mission is to contribute to the development and maintenance of forensic psychology as a specialized field of study, research, and practice. The Academy does this by providing high-quality continuing education workshops, providing a forum for the exchange of scientific information among its members, and conferring awards upon outstanding students and practitioners in the field of forensic psychology.

Learn More About Our Partner

CE Sponsorship Information

Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by, recognized by, or maintains sponsorship provider status with the following boards and agencies. We maintain responsibility for all content in our CE/CPD programs. For more information, visit here. 

  1. American Psychological Association (APA): Approved sponsor of continuing education for psychologists.

  2. Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB): Approved continuing education provider (ACE program, Provider #1480), 11/22/2023–11/22/2026.

  3. Canadian Psychological Association (CPA): Approved to sponsor continuing education for psychologists.

  4. National Board for Certified Counselors (NBCC): Approved Continuing Education Provider (ACEP No. 7190).


Sponsorship Approval Statements

Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is approved by the Canadian Psychological Association to offer continuing education for psychologists. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 7190. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. Palo Alto University, #1480, 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 as ACE providers. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. Palo Alto University maintains responsibility for this course. ACE provider approval period 11/22/23-11/22/26. Social workers completing this course receive (clinical or social work ethics) continuing education credits. Continuing and Professional Studies, Palo Alto University, is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0103. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) is solely responsible for all aspects of the programs. Palo Alto University, Continuing & Professional Studies (CONCEPT), is recognized by the New York State Education Department's State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers #SW-0356. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies, is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Mental Health Practitioners as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed mental health counselors. #MHC-0073.