The Mental Health, Addictions and Criminal Justice Advanced Certificate (MHCJ), launching this September at Camosun College, aims to heal the clash that exists between those with mental health and addictions with the criminal justice system.

B次元官网网址淥ne of the biggest challenges we have in society is the over-representation of individuals with mental health and addiction challenges in our justice system,B次元官网网址� program chair Wendy Taylor said.

B次元官网网址淧eople are treated for their actions instead of looking at the reasons for them and the need to have access to mental health and addiction resources B次元官网网址� Say, for example, if someoneB次元官网网址檚 acting out in the community, swearing, harassing, or threatening, instead of seeing that as a mental health challenge, it can be seen as someone impacting public safety at the community level. And the resources provided may not necessarily be mental health resources, they may be detention and custody.B次元官网网址�

Piloted at the beginning of 2020, the applied learning program equips working professionals with the skills to support people and communities facing mental health, substance use and criminal justice challenges. Those suited to take the program include frontline workers, police officers, mental health, addictions, social and youth workers, as well as correctional and probation officers.

Eva Silden, PhD, a criminal justice instructor in the program, shared data that supports why the program is needed in the community.

B次元官网网址淎cross Canada, we see that of offenders who end up in custody, 70 to 80 per cent have substance use as a criminogenic factor. In other words, substance use is related to their offending behaviour,B次元官网网址� she said, referring to statistics published by Correctional Service Canada in 2022.

Seventy-two per cent of B.C. inmates with co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders, and 70 per cent of people with substance use disorders alone, returned to prison within three years of release, found a March 2024 Simon Fraser University-led study.

One issue is that the police are often not equipped or trained to deal with mental health or addiction issues, said Silden.

B次元官网网址淭here are some teams (like VICOT and ACT) where a police officer who has received training, along with a nurse, mental health worker/outreach worker, probation officer, etc. respond to mental health calls together. These teams have been very successful however, there are too few of them,B次元官网网址� she said.

Stats from both the Saanich Police and VicPD put into perspective how often officers are responding to calls with a mental health component. VicPD told Black Press there were 7,130 calls for service in 2023 where mental health was a contributing factor in police attendance, making up 23 per cent of their total calls. The department clarified that while there are basic guidelines for collecting this data, it is also based on an officerB次元官网网址檚 perception and some calls may have an element of subjectivity.

For the Saanich Police, this number was 3 per cent of calls in 2023 with the note that not all calls for service involve a criminal act and not all calls for service with a mental health component result in arrest.

B次元官网网址淥ne challenge that the Saanich Police face in responding to calls that have a mental health component B次元官网网址� is the amount of time our officers spend waiting in hospitals,B次元官网网址� said Jason Hallman of the Saanich Police. B次元官网网址淥fficers spend on average over two hours waiting for the apprehended individual to be seen, which means they are unable to respond to any other call for service that comes in.B次元官网网址�

While working in custody centres and community probation before her career at Camosun, Taylor saw her own systemic issues: B次元官网网址淧eople working in silos, not having resources available for individuals and putting on band-aids.B次元官网网址� And connecting factors, such as the time to get into treatment programs, the rules and qualifications to get into said programs, and the difficulty connecting individuals to crucial support systems, led to compounding problems

B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a shortage of programs, shortage of services, and sometimes people feel that, if theyB次元官网网址檙e in custody or if thereB次元官网网址檚 a justice system, theyB次元官网网址檙e going to get some services,B次元官网网址� she said.

But apart from the issues, Taylor saw there was something that was working.

B次元官网网址淚 really found that the most positive interactions and work that I did in my career was working together with others in a collaborative way,B次元官网网址� she said.

More and more, Taylor sees police working with mental health workers and thatB次元官网网址檚 why she is excited to have an educational program that models collaboration.

B次元官网网址淧eople working in the field have great ideas and a lot of ways that we could better support clients,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淚n fact, the last course is about identifying a problem and working together on it as a capstone to take back to their community.B次元官网网址�

Superintendent Todd Preston of the West Shore RCMP detachment spoke to the benefits of the Camosun program.

B次元官网网址淲hen it comes to calls related to mental health, addictions and homelessness we need to ensure a collaborative approach in keeping people safe and providing care for those who need it most. The program at Camosun College ensures students gain an enhanced understanding and ability to provide integrated services and supports to advocate for those experiencing mental health and substance use challengesB次元官网网址�.

Upon completion of the program, students will also have a greater understanding of the impact of systems, colonization and decolonization, including information related to the systemic racism of Indigenous peoples and communities. BC Corrections said that in 2024, Indigenous people are nearly 6 per cent of B.C.B次元官网网址檚 adult population, yet they are 35 per cent of the individuals in custody.

The certificate program features four online courses delivered over eight months, allowing students working in the field to accommodate their work and program schedules.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e really pleased to see some of the work our graduates have done in their community already,B次元官网网址� Taylor said.

For more information please visit: .