1 Hour / 1 CE

On Demand | Self-Paced Professional Training

This on-demand professional training program on Jail-Based Competency Restoration is presented by Lauren Kois, PhD.

This badge-earning program can be shared digitally on platforms like LinkedIn or your resume and counts toward a certificate. Enroll in this program to earn credit towards the Correctional Mental Health Certificate and share your new digital credentials.

Throughout this interactive program, participants explore various models and protocols currently implemented across different jurisdictions, gaining valuable insights into program structure, implementation strategies, and effectiveness. We critically examine the promising but limited research on this complex service delivery model. Participants evaluate the complex relationships between clinical needs, security requirements, systemic constraints, and ethical dilemmas. Whether participants are currently involved in jail-based restoration or preparing to implement such services, this program offers valuable insights into current practices and emerging trends.

This program is designed for mental health professionals seeking to delve into the complexities and challenges of providing competency restoration services within jail settings.

Learning Objectives

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

  • 1 Describe jail-based competency restoration empirical research
  • 2 Describe differing models and protocols for jail-based competency restoration
  • 3 Describe risks, benefits, and ethical considerations associated with jail-based competency restoration
  • 4 Describe
  • 5 Describe

  • Intended Audience

    This training is designed for mental health and legal professionals who are directly involved in competency restoration, particularly those working at the intersection of clinical care and the legal system. It is suitable for individuals engaged in or planning to implement jail-based restoration programs, as well as those responsible for navigating the complex demands of both clinical and legal responsibilities in forensic settings.


    Examples of Relevant Professionals:
    • Mental health professionals (e.g., forensic psychologists, psychiatrists, correctional mental health clinicians)
    • Legal professionals (e.g., attorneys, judges) involved in competency restoration
    • Administrators and program managers in forensic or correctional settings

  • Experience Level

    This training is appropriate for licensed and pre-licensed mental health professionals at various stages of experience with jail-based competency restoration (JBCR) services.

    • Beginner: Participants new to JBCR or forensic mental health will gain foundational knowledge of empirical research, models, protocols, and ethical considerations relevant to jail-based restoration.

    • Intermediate: Participants with some experience in forensic or correctional settings will deepen their understanding of program implementation, outcome measurement, and the complexities of clinical, security, and systemic factors in JBCR.

    • Advanced: Participants with extensive experience in JBCR or related forensic services will critically evaluate emerging trends, research limitations, and advanced ethical dilemmas, contributing insights from their own practice.

  • Practice Setting

    Professionals practice in secure, justice-involved environments where clinical services are delivered under court orders and custody protocols. Work occurs within interdisciplinary teams navigating court timelines, security operations, agency policies, and ethical mandates while aligning treatment with statutory competency standards across jurisdictions.

    Examples of Practice Settings:
    • Jail-based competency restoration units in county or municipal jails
    • Forensic mental health services embedded within correctional facilities
    • Court-affiliated competency clinics or restoration programs
    • State forensic hospitals coordinating with jails on restoration
    • Correctional health services or sheriff’s departments overseeing JBCR
    • County/state behavioral health agencies administering forensic services
    • Specialized competency dockets coordinating clinical–legal processes

Presented By

Lauren Kois, PhD Assistant Professor of Research, University of Virginia's Institute of Law, Psychiatry, and Public Policy

Dr. Kois is a clinical and forensic psychologist whose research, clinical, and consulting activities center on forensic mental health services and systems, specifically those concerning competence to stand trial and the "competence crisis," as well as mental state at the time of the offense (i.e., sanity) evaluations. Her research program is supported by competitive federal, state, and philanthropic funding. In 2023 she received the Saleem Shah Early Career Development Award from the American Psychology-Law Society (APA Div. 41) and American Academy of Forensic Psychology, as well as the Psychologist in Public Service (APA Div. 18) Criminal Justice Division's Early Career Achievement Award. Prior to joining ILPPP, Dr. Kois was an Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychology (Clinical Forensic doctoral program) at the University of Alabama. 

View More Programs from this Presenter
Lauren Kois, PhD

Training Outline

Key topics covered in this training include:

  • Introduction: The demand for JBCR in the "competence crisis"

    • Clinical Need x Safety and Security Matrix
    • Statistical trends in restoration success rates
    • Critical analysis of the literature and its limitations
      • Population
      • Eligibility criteria
      • "Dose"
      • Fidelity

  • What is and what is not JBCR

    • Security constraints, coordination with differing objectives
    • Jail and defendant "fit"
    • Jail resources
    • Medication is not JBCR
    • Forensic literacy

  • JBCR Models (Case Studies)

    • The "ramp up" model (CA DSH EASS)
    • The "pod" model
    • The "mobile/mental health unit" model
    • The general population model
    • Interactive Poll: What is do-able at your facility?

  • Special populations

    • Intellectual disability, serious mental illness, language barriers

  • Outcome measurement

    • Key performance indicators
    • Documentation requirements, coordination, challenges

  • Ethics of JBCR

    • The good, the bad, and the gray
    • Interactive Poll: Ethics of JBCR

Earning a Certificate

This is a badge-earning program, which means it will help you earn a certificate that can be showcased on digital platforms like LinkedIn.
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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).



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) maintains responsibility for this program and its content. 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), SW CPE 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 and 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. Palo Alto University, Continuing and Professional Studies (CONCEPT) has been approved by NBCC as an Approved Continuing Education Provider, ACEP No. 6811. Programs that do not qualify for NBCC credit are clearly identified. CONCEPT Professional Training, #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. CONCEPT Professional Training 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.