Youth in custody who are living with a mental illness are often deemed the most challenging to supervise. Before admission, these children and adolescents have often been on the receiving end of countless detentions, suspensions, expulsions, restraints, seclusions and punishment. Many have significant trauma histories. This workshop will provide an overview of a prosocial paradigm for supervising youth in custody living with a mental illness – one that emphasizes youth’s developmental needs, identifies proactive strategies for mitigating challenging behaviors, and promotes a culture of shared responsibility and safety.
Alycia co-leads the COVID, Corrections, and Oversight Project at the LBJ School alongside Distinguished Senior Lecturer, Michele Deitch. She has nearly 20 years of experience conducting research and directing community-based initiatives aimed at addressing the needs and experiences of adults and youth involved with the justice system. Her research focuses on the safe and humane treatment of people in custody, and she specializes in the distinct experiences of women and individuals in custody living with behavioral health challenges. Alycia has served in a number of key leadership positions in university settings and non-profit organizations. She has directed a transitional housing program for women exiting prison or jail, developed an alternative to incarceration program for young adults, oversaw a multi-state federally-funded initiative providing training and technical assistance on behavioral health and criminal justice issues, and designed multiple studies assessing the impact of community-based programs on those who are justice-involved. She also served as a policy analyst for two members of the Texas House of Representatives. ALYCIA WELCH, MPAff, MSSW Associate Director COVID, Corrections, and Oversight Project LBJ School of Public Affairs | The University of Texas at Austin
