Resume

• 2016

  Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

  Health Sciences

  Simon Fraser University

• 2011

  Master of Arts (MA)

  Criminology

  Mental Health Research Group

  Simon Fraser University

  Alberta Victim Advocate Core Training Certificate

  Justice Institute of British Columbia

  Intermediate R

  DataCamp

• 2010

  Study Abroad Program

  University of Aberdeen

• 2009

  Guelph-Wellington Women In Crisis

  Member

  Board Of Directors

  The Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver (EFry)

  Criminal Justice

  Higher Education

  Data Analysis

  Statistics

  Teaching

  Qualitative Research

  Health Policy

  University Teaching

  Mental Health

  Report Writing

  Forensic Psychology

  Program Coordination

  Grant Writing

  Microsoft Office

  Project Management

  Program Evaluation

  Microsoft Word

  Public Speaking

  Research

  Policy Analysis

  Mental Health Services in Canadian Corrections (Chapter in Edited Text)

  The chapter addresses mental health service provision within Canadian Corrections

  with a focus on the federal correctional setting. The chapter includes discussion of the incidence of mental illness and neurocognitive impairment in penitentiaries

  Canada's national and international obligations

  use of administrative segregation

  suicidal and self-injurious behaviour

  and the Correctional Service of Canada's (CSC) policies

  legal framework and mental health strategy.

  Mental Health Services in Canadian Corrections (Chapter in Edited Text)

  Literature review focused on promising practices in law enforcement

  with respect to response to people with mental health challenges. Efforts to improve response have been initiated globally. These efforts include mobile mental health cars

  crisis intervention teams

  and a range of educational practices. This review predominantly considers practices in Canada and the United States

  and to a lesser extent

  the United Kingdom and Australia. The paper is published by the International Centre for Criminal Law Reform and Criminal Justice Policy.

  Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System: A Review of Global Perspectives and Promising Practices

  Simon Verdun-Jones

  While there is general agreement that the great majority of offenders who are sentenced to prison live with a mental disorder and/or a neurocognitive impairment

  there is a paucity of research that examines the impact of these conditions on sentencing decisions. This article analyses three studies that reviewed Canadian sentencing decisions obtained from legal databases. Specifically

  the article examines the extent to which neurocognitive impairment was treated as a mitigating factor. The analysis indicates that psychopathy was considered to be an aggravating factor insofar as it was associated with a lengthy or indeterminate prison sentence. FASD was consistently considered a mitigating factor with respect to young offenders but

  for adult offenders

  the judicial approach was variable with less concern for a specific diagnosis and treatment. In a small number of adult cases

  PTSD was explicitly identified as a mitigating factor in the judgments

  but only if it was causally connected to the offence(s). However

  in cases involving young offenders

  judges were more likely to focus on the need for treatment of this condition and speedy intervention to achieve rehabilitation. ADHD was not given much weight in sentencing decisions involving either young or adult offenders.

  Sentencing Neurocognitively Impaired Offenders in Canada

  A project for the Mental Health Commission of Canada (MHCC) to develop a series of system and population level indicators on mental health which can be utilized to stimulate

  promote

  and strengthen efforts to improve the mental health system in Canada. \n\nLink to MHCC report: https://www.mentalhealthcommission.ca/English/document/68796/informing-future-mental-health-indicators-canada

  A Qualitative Study of Police Interactions as Perceived by People Living with Mental Disorder

  This project was a qualitative study of police interactions from the perspective of those with lived experience with mental illness. The project used secondary interview data

  which was collected through a Participatory Action Research approach with 60 interviewees. The study employed a Procedural Justice theoretical framework. The aim of the study was to examine the narratives of people who live with mental illness in order to better understand the nature of their interactions with the police. Some important topics of investigation included experiences of stigma

  coercion

  police training

  use of force

  trust

  and police attitudes. The study found support for procedural justice theory insofar as the way that participants were treated (ex. respect

  compassion

  fairness) influenced their overall perception of police legitimacy.

  Toward Quality Mental Health Services in Canada: A Comparison of Performance Indicators across 5 provinces

  The overall purpose of the project was to test the feasibility of creating and reporting on a small number of mental health and addictions performance indicators that could be compared across Canadian provinces. Participating provinces included BC

  AB

  MB

  ON and QC.

  My program of research is in the intersection of health and justice. I believe in a public health approach to improving public safety. Specific research topics include service access and outcomes for justice-involved people with mental illness and substance use disorders

  criminal justice diversion

  improving care transitions

  and community reentry after prison. My PhD research involves using linked administrative health and criminal justice data for longitudinal cohort analyses. I do independent consulting in health and justice research

  performance measurement

  and program evaluation.

  Amanda

  Butler

  Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction (CARMHA)

  Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies (ICURS)

  University of Melbourne

  Simon Fraser University

  Simon Fraser University

  The University of British Columbia

  Institute for Canadian Urban Research Studies (ICURS)

  Simon Fraser University

  School of Criminology

  TA Course History:\nCRIM 131 - Introduction to the Canadian Criminal Justice System\nCRIM 300 - Current Theories and Perspectives in Criminology \nCRIM 334 - Law and Human Reproduction\nCRIM 332 - Sociology of Law\nCRIM 321 - Qualitative Research Methods \n

  Teaching Assistant

  Responsible for the overall direction

  coordination

  implementation

  execution

  control and completion of specified projects.

  Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction (CARMHA)

  Research Assistant

  Department of Psychiatry

  The University of British Columbia

  Research Program Manager

  Accomplish strategic objectives by overseeing multiple research projects' activities and portfolios. Key responsibilities:\n•\tDevelop clear and detailed plans for activities across multiple projects \n•\tFacilitate defining project goals

  tasks

  resource requirements\n•\tProvide supervision to Research Assistants and Project Assistants\n•\tInform and oversee all research activities including ethics applications; protocol development; research design; data analyses and interpretation\n•\tLiaise with funding agencies

  working groups and advisory committees\n•\tProvide purpose

  direction

  and coaching to the project team\n

  Centre for Applied Research in Mental Health and Addiction (CARMHA)

  University of Melbourne

  Melbourne

  Australia

  Endeavour Research Fellow at the Justice Health Unit

  Melbourne School of Population and Global Health. I conducted research using linked data from the 'Passports Study - Health After Release from Prison (HARP)' project.

  Endeavour Research Fellow

  School of Criminology

  Courses taught:\nMental Disorder

  Criminality & the Law (CRIM 314)\nIntroduction to the Canadian Criminal Justice System (CRIM 131)\nIntroduction to Criminology (CRIM 101)\n

  Sessional Instructor

  Simon Fraser University

  Member

  Canadian Academy of Psychiatric Epidemiology

  Editorial Assistant

  Canadian Journal of Criminology and Criminal Justice

  Member

  American Evaluation Association

  Member

  American Psychology-Law Society

  Member

  Canadian Evaluation Society

  Member

  Academic Consortium on Criminal Justice Health

  Australian Government Department of Education & Training

  CIHR Banting & Best Doctoral Research Award

  Canadian Institutes for Health Research

• 2006

  Bachelor of Arts (BA) Honours

  Criminal Justice and Public Policy

  Social Psychology

  University of Guelph

  Biostatistics

  Mental Health & Law

  Quantitative Methods

  Criminological Theory

  Regression Modeling for Public Health

  Interdisciplinary Seminar in Health Sciences

  DataCamp

  Introduction to R

  University of Victoria

  Project Management Fundamentals

  Implementation Analysis for Feedback on Program Progress & Results

  The Evaluators’ Institute

  Health Program Evaluation - Scoping the Evaluation Plan

  University of Melbourne

• The Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver (EFry)