Session: Social Work Science and Transformative Change in Criminal Justice and Community Mental Health (Society for Social Work and Research 30th Annual Conference Anniversary)

This symposium will showcase four innovations in social work science that evaluate how community supervision, mental health treatment, and employment readiness have the potential to transform practice and policy to improve real-world outcomes for justice-involved adults. The symposium highlights critical advances in prevention, intervention, and implementation within probation, prison, and community mental health settings. The first study delves into the high rates of trauma among returning citizens and underscores the potential of trauma-informed supervision to reduce recidivism. By conducting a pre-implementation assessment with probation administrators and officers, the study identified critical insights into the appropriateness and potential barriers of trauma-informed approaches. The findings stress the importance of considering individual officer characteristics and organizational support in successful implementation. This research advocates for strategic planning and development of leadership-driven initiatives to create environments conducive to trauma-informed supervision, laying a foundation for valuable policy and practice innovations. The second study emphasizes the pressing need for interventions addressing criminal legal risk factors among individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) within community settings. This pilot RCT highlights the promise of the group-based cognitive-behavioral therapy intervention, "Forging New Paths" (FNP), in reducing impulsivity, aggression, and criminal attitudes. By integrating such interventions into community mental health services, the study advocates for a shift towards proactive and equitable systems, effectively serving as critical intercepts that can prevent individuals with SMI from entering the criminal legal system. The third study validates the impact of Virtual Reality Job Interview Training (VR-JIT) on enhancing employment outcomes for returning citizens. Conducted within prison-based employment programs, the study found that VR-JIT significantly increased competitive employment rates and decreased time-to-employment by improving interview skills and reducing interviewing anxiety. These findings emphasize the transformative potential of utilizing technology-driven interventions to bridge gaps in job readiness and reentry success, advocating for policymakers to invest in such evidence-based practices. The fourth study explores the implementation dynamics of VR-JIT for returning citizens within correctional facilities. While highlighting the intervention's high acceptability and usability in trainees and implementers, the study identifies structural barriers such as schedule conflicts and resource constraints, advocating for an enhanced role of social workers in overcoming these challenges. By involving social workers in addressing systemic barriers and facilitating individualized support, the study underscores their pivotal role in leveraging VR-JIT to aid reintegration into society. Together, these studies illuminate the profound impact that aligning social work science with policy and practice can have on addressing the multifaceted challenges faced by justice-involved adults. By integrating trauma-informed care, community-based mental health interventions, and innovative employment readiness tools, social workers can drive transformative change. Such alignment not only improves outcomes for justice-involved individuals but also contributes to the broader aim of building safer, more equitable, and recovery-oriented communities. As these studies advocate, the intersection of evidence-based practices, technology, and proactive social work engagement is crucial in reimagining a more effective criminal justice system.