Mental-health workshop set

YOUNGSTOWN — Key community leaders will gather here this week for a workshop designed to ensure that people with behavioral-health disorders who become involved with the criminal-justice system are properly identified and treated.

The workshop is targeted at identifying and addressing gaps in screening and services; preventing people from falling through the cracks in the justice, mental-health and recovery systems; facilitating inmates’ successful return to the community from jail or prison; and reducing the likelihood of their returning to jail or prison.

Beginning at 8:30 a.m. and running all day Thursday, and resuming for a half-day at 8:30 a.m. Friday, the workshop will take place in the Mahoning County Children Services Board building, 222 W. Federal St., where county mental-health and recovery board offices are located.

The list of invited attendees is a Who’s Who of local judges, police chiefs, clergy, prosecutors, and jail, community corrections, mental health and recovery, social service agency and public health leaders.

To help identify the gaps, people who have been treated for mental illness and experienced the criminal justice system also will attend.

For the complete story, read Tuesday's Vindicator and Vindy.com