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27 Psychol. Pub. Pol'y & L. 1 (2021)

handle is hein.journals/psypbclw27 and id is 1 raw text is: .PRICAN Psychology, Public Policy, and Law © 2020 American Psychological Association ISSN: 1076-8971 2021, Vol. 27, No. 1, 1-16 https://doi.org/10.1037/law0000293 Forensic E-Mental Health: Review, Research Priorities, and Policy Directions Lauren E. Kois, Jennifer Cox, and Ashley T. Peck Department of Psychology, University of Alabama Forensic e-mental health is an area of psychology that is relatively underdeveloped considering techno- logical advancements and the many mental health needs of justice-involved individuals. It includes the procurement, storage, sharing, and provision of forensic mental health information and services via electronic means and is associated with improved accessibility, efficiency, cost-savings, and safety. During the COVID-19 pandemic, clinics, hospitals, jails, prisons, and the courts rapidly adopted these modalities for service continuity out of necessity, rather than choice. In the absence of formal guidelines, practitioners, researchers, and policymakers were left searching for answers: what forensic e-mental health technologies are available, what was their research evidence, and what could the future hold? A primer covering the many aspects of technology-assisted forensic practice and research was overdue. To address this knowledge gap, we reviewed the e-mental health research base encompassing forensic evaluations and interventions. Considering stakeholders' needs, cost, and feasibility, we prioritized key topics that should rise to the top of the forensic e-mental health research agenda: the psychometric properties of forensic e-mental health assessments, impact of video recording evaluations, how to assess and treat diverse populations, restoration of competence to proceed, continuum of care, minimizing treatment attrition, and decreasing substance use. We report how to plan for and overcome logistical hurdles when implementing forensic e-mental health policy, utilize technology for training and educa- tion, and harness digitized data across the forensic realm. In conclusion, we find that there is ample opportunity for leveraging technology to improve forensic mental health practice, research, and policy. Keywords: forensic e-mental health, telehealth, telepsychology, forensic evaluation, corrections In November 2019, COVID-19 the infectious, highly commu- nicable, and potentially fatal disease caused by a novel coronavi- rus originated in Wuhan, China. Within months, its devastating impact had spread worldwide. By April 2020, the United States had the highest number of confirmed COVID-19 cases and COVID-19-related deaths in the world (World Health Organiza- tion, 2020). Faced with its most significant public health emer- gency in modern history, virtually all aspects of U.S. health care were impacted. The American Psychological Association (APA) was quick to provide guidance to mental health practitioners, researchers, and policymakers who faced unprecedented hurdles for conducting their work. Almost immediately, e-mental health (also referred to as telepsychology) was the logistical solution put into practice (Liu et al., 2020; Perrin et al., 2020). E-mental health is the procurement, storage, sharing, and pro- vision of mental health information and services via electronic This article was published Online First December 3, 2020. Lauren E. Kois https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6926-7588 This article is a synthesis of forensic e-mental health literature that has not been presented in its collective form elsewhere. We thank Eric B. Elbogen and W. Neil Gowensmith for their feedback on a draft of the manuscript. Correspondence concerning this article should be addressed to Lauren E. Kois, Department of Psychology, University of Alabama, P.O. 870348, Tuscaloosa, AL 35487-0348, United States. Email: lekois@ua.edu communication including online databases, telephone, videocon- ferencing (live, two-way interactions), email, interactive websites, software applications (i.e., apps), and social media. It can be conducted synchronously (in-the-moment) or asynchronously (training modules, email, etc.) and stand-alone or supplement traditional mental health care protocol. It can take place in emer- gency rooms, outpatient clinics, independent practice virtually any mental health setting acting as a hub for services. Dating back to 1959, e-mental health is associated with improved acces- sibility, flexibility, reduced costs, times savings, decreased self- stigma, and consumer engagement (Cowan et al., 2019; Lal & Adair, 2014; Luxton et al., 2016). From 2010 to 2017, the United States increased psychiatric e-mental health (i.e., mental health services, such as medication prescribing and management, pro- vided by medical professionals) in state-run facilities from 15% to 29% (Spivak et al., 2020). Several subspecialties of psychology most notably, counseling psychology have built evidence bases for its practice (Jacobsen & Kohout, 2010; Luxton et al., 2011). Heilbrun and Brooks (2010) set assessing development and impact of new technologies as part of a proposed agenda for forensic psychology over 10 years ago, but a decade later, forensic psy- chology's technology use and exploration lags behind its counter- parts. Regarding COVID-19, jails and prisons became hot spots for disease transmission (Williams & Ivory, 2020). Correctional set- tings make for close quarters, and COVID-19 transmission pre- cautions (e.g., limiting one-on-one interactions, social distancing)

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