IN-CJ Newsdesk 2023 – Perspectives in Specialised Mental Health Supervision in Probation and Parole in Georgia
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For the IN-CJ Newsdesk 2023 Kasey Barton, Ywkesha Garvin, Chris Burke, and Jolie Blackmon, are community supervision officers from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision. They discussed the introduction of specialised mental health supervision in probation and parole in the community supervision process. They explored the advantages of specialised mental health caseloads in community supervision. They also talked about the ‘consultation component’ and its role in mental health supervision. This session gave valuable insights into the duties of mental health officers, the impact of the caseload on those being supervised, and the reasoning behind the addition of the consultation component.
Specialised Mental Health Supervision in Georgia
How can probation and parole services better support people with serious mental health needs? This was the focus of an IN-CJ Newsdesk 2023 session with officers from the Georgia Department of Community Supervision (DCS), who discussed their work managing specialised mental health caseloads.
Since 2015, Georgia’s DCS has introduced at least one specialised caseload in every judicial circuit. Each caseload is capped at around 40–50 supervisees, all diagnosed with severe and persistent mental illness or co-occurring substance use and mental health conditions. The aim is to provide closer supervision, early intervention, and sustained support that balances accountability with rehabilitation.
The discussion highlighted the unique role of specialised officers. Alongside standard supervision duties, they monitor treatment compliance, verify medication use, liaise with families, and work directly with healthcare providers. Officers undergo extensive training, including enhanced supervision skills, motivational interviewing, an 18-hour mental health course, and a 40-hour crisis intervention programme taught by mental health professionals and law enforcement experts. This equips them to respond effectively in crises while also reinforcing positive behaviours.
Speakers described the importance of rapport and trust. Families and supervisees often assume that officers are only there to enforce punishment, but smaller caseloads and proactive engagement help build safe spaces where issues can be discussed openly. Success stories, such as a woman who stabilised her life, regained custody of her children, and now leads a peer recovery group, showed how this approach can transform lives and reduce recidivism.
Challenges remain, particularly in rural areas where transport and access to medication create barriers, and for officers themselves who face long hours and high stress. To address this, Georgia is piloting a consultation component where officers meet individually and in groups with licensed mental health professionals. This provides additional insight, emotional support, and guidance, recognising that officer wellbeing is central to effective supervision.
The session concluded that specialised mental health supervision is not only about enforcing conditions but about helping people achieve stability and long-term success. By combining law enforcement responsibilities with therapeutic support, Georgia’s model seeks to reduce stigma, improve outcomes, and make communities safer.
