2. Mishelle (MOM) Trevor (SON)
Born January 15, 1974
2000 – 2001 (2 Years)
2004 – 2006 (2 Years)
2006 – 2010 (3 ½ Years)
Probation, Parole, or Extended
Supervision 14 years
7 ½ years incarcerated
Grand Total = 22 ½ years
Born July 30, 1991
Graduated High School 2009
Graduated Fox Valley 2014-Associate
Degree in Criminal Justice
Dodge County Correctional Officer
March 12, 2015
Grand Total = 23 years
3. Mishelle Marie
Petersen
John Burke
Correctional Center
December 2006-April
27, 2010
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Alcoholic, Bi Polar, Clinically Depressed, Anxiety Disorder, Criminal, Offender, Inmate, White Trash, Poor,
Uneducated, Dysfunctional, Incorrigible, Pessimist, Repeat Offender, Unfit Mother, Manipulative,
Unaccountable, Failure, Prisoner, Ex-Offender, Ex- Wife, Mentally Ill, Unlovable…..
4. State Wide Network Coordinator –
Grassroots Empowerment Project
Vice – Chair WCMH
Chair – WCMH Criminal Justice Committee
Committee Member – CJCC TAD Courts
Mishelle Marie O’Shasky
Mom, Wife, Survivor, Daughter, Sister,
Friend, Peer, Consumer, Advocate, and
Ex-Offender
8. How did the correctional system becoming the
new Mental Health Facility?
Mentally ill persons increasingly receive care
provided by correctional agencies. In 1959, nearly
559,000 mentally ill patients were housed in state
mental hospitals (Lamb, 1998). A shift to
"deinstitutionalize" mentally ill persons had, by the
late 1990s, dropped the number of persons housed
in public psychiatric hospitals to approximately
70,000 (CorrectCare, 1999).
9. Snippet of history-the U.S. timeline
First Psychiatric hospital opened in the US on Oct 12, 1773 and is still in operation
1954 Thorazine was used to keep order in over crowed institutions
1955 -560,000 were committed to mental health institutions
A month before JFK’s death he signed the Community Mental Health Center Act of 1963 –
600,000 in Institutions. His goal was to reduce this number by 50% - His personal stake,
Rosemary, JFK’s sister had received a prefrontal lobotomy at age 23
1977 population declines to 160,000
1980’s Jimmy Carter continued to JFK’s Act of 1963
1982 Ronald Regan enacted the Alcohol, Drug Abuse and Mental Health Block Grant (ADMS),
however under this grant funding cut 30% of funding and the Fed Gov redistributed the $ to each
of the states. ADMS covered only 11% of agency budgets and states responsibility grew to 42%
10. The Results….2006 Special Report
As a result, mentally ill persons are more likely to live in local
communities. Some come into contact with the criminal justice system.
the Bureau of Justice Statistics (BJS) estimated that 705,600 mentally ill
adults were incarcerated in state prisons, 78,800 in federal prisons and
479,900 in local jails.
In addition, research suggests that "people with mental illnesses are
overrepresented in probation and parole populations at estimated rates
ranging from two to four times the general population" (Prins and Draper,
2009). Growing numbers of mentally ill offenders have strained
correctional systems.
12. How did the United States
become the country with the
highest prison population in the
world?
13. Resources are limited to the ongoing
and growing needs of criminal justice-
involved consumers
We must be smart, innovative and creative to overcome these barriers with them. Supporting best practices
and evidence based recovery models is the most effective way to bring positive change to this overwhelming
need
Bring criminal justice-involved consumers, stakeholders, family, advocates, and communities together in a
true collaboration, respectful dialogue, and build equal partnerships to overcome these obstacles.
Positive, healing relationships based on respect, shared responsibility, inclusive solutions, a mutual
understanding, and power are the core elements of culture and systems change.
14. Reentry Peer Specialists - What are they?
Why should we buy into this?
A Reentry Peer Specialist (RPS) is a individual that has been involved in the criminal justice system and
also identifies as having a mental illness or substance abuse background or both
They are an expert at reentering the community after incarceration or after being committed to a
institution and are currently in recovery, who else knows what being released is like except for someone
that has been released?
A RPS can provide support as an individual is released back into the community; resources, leadership,
mentoring, advocacy, housing, medications, and supporting the individuals system navigation
A RPS can be a resource for an officer during a crisis to assist in deescalating a situation and support the
individual in a crisis in the way a professional may not be able
15. CIT TEAMS– How can you benefit? How can a Reentry Peer
Specialist enhance your efforts – Some Examples of Possible
outcomes
With support of a RPS
Integrates community responsibility to the
growing needs of the criminal justice involved
consumers
Stakeholders working as a team, sharing
responsibility, building a mutual understanding,
and inclusive solutions
Saves $$$ - Reduction of emergency room
utilization and acute crisis resources
Decline in the arrests, prison and jail population
Reduction of stigma, increased acceptance of
individuals affected
Save LIVES!
Without support of a RPS
“US VS THEM” Continues to escalate
No collaboration or support from
community members
Over population and increased crime in
your communities
$$$ resources exhausted - emergency
rooms, incarceration, recidivism
Increased criminalization of mental health
and substance use issues and increased
stigma in the community
16. Possibilities for the Reentry Peer Specialist
Skills development, job opportunities that otherwise wouldn’t be possible
Job requirement is to be a felon!
Put a purpose and passion for recovery in their lives
A chance to give back to their communities
Enhance their own recovery journey
Develop and cultivate a mutual understanding of each stakeholders position
Become and maintain to be productive members of society
To earn a living wage, provide for themselves
A REASON TO STAY OUT OF YOUR PRISONS, JAILS, AND INSTITUATIONS
18. How is Wisconsin achieving this
collaboration between stakeholders?
Grassroots Empowerment Project was recently awarded the 2015-2018 Statewide Consumer Network grant through
funding from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). This project serves to
support reentry and community integration of criminal justice-involved consumers through the development of a
reentry peer specialist model in Wisconsin. Using Participatory Decision Making GEP will facilitate monthly meetings
with individuals from multiple stakeholder groups to develop a model for reentry peer support. GEP will then train
criminal justice-involved consumers and support them as they provide peer support.
The grant highlights Reentry Peer Specialists (RPS) to become critical and important component of reentry and
provide a natural support to their peers returning to their respected communities. Only individuals that have gone
through a release from prison can know what that experience is like. A RPS is the experts of the release process. The
grant will also provide the training at no cost to interested criminal justice involved consumers to receive the RPS
training as well as support them as they move forward in their career goals. GEP has strong collaboration with the
Department of Corrections (DOC) as well as the Department of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services to
begin the implementations of this exciting and innovative initiative.
19. How do we take the initiative?
Please contact Mishelle O’Shasky at Grassroots Empowerment Project to discuss how your
team can implement Reentry Peer Specialists into your activities as CIT Teams and bring
this training to the criminal justice involved consumers in your communities and
institutions.
mishelle@grassrootspower.org
1-715-423-2280
1-800-770-0588 EXT. 7
www.grassrootspower.org
Please email Mishelle for citations for any graphs and statistics used in this presentation
