Department of Psychiatry

Division of Clinical Psychology

Colorado Department of Corrections Rotation

The Denver Reception and Diagnostic Center (DRDC) is a 482 bed, maximum security diagnostic unit which opened in spring of 1991. All adult offenders sentenced to the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) are processed through DRDC. Currently 35 to 45 offenders per day are processed through Intake, with the average length of stay being less than 30 days. Each offender receives a complete physical, custody assignment, standardized intelligence/aptitude testing (CFIS, TABE), and personality testing (CCI). Offenders who are referred to mental health for evaluation may receive an in-depth psychological assessment, with further testing and intervention possible.

DRDC also operates a 36 bed infirmary, which provides acute, long-term, and hospice medical care. Offenders requiring psychiatric stabilization also may be admitted to the infirmary by mental health staff. Typically these individuals are then transferred to the San Carlos Correctional Facility (SCCF) or the Colorado Mental Health Institute at Pueblo. Offenders who require kidney dialysis treatment are housed at DRDC or DWDC permanently, as we provide the only dialysis service in DOC.

Denver Women's Correctional Facility (DWCF) is a 900-bed, multi-custody facility which opened in July of 1998. DWCF is the intake facility for all female offenders who enter the Department of Corrections. It also serves as a permanent assignment facility, offering a variety of specialized programs to help with rehabilitation and reintegration efforts. Additionally, there is a 36-bed Special Needs Unit that is designed to house female offenders who have debilitating mental health conditions and/or developmental disabilities. The primary focus in both facilities (DRDC & DWCF) is assessment, diagnosis, crisis intervention and stabilization, and referral to appropriate mental health programs. Psychiatric care, substance abuse assessments, and sex offender evaluations are also available to both male and female offenders.

Upon invitation for an interview, an extensive background investigion of the intern will be initiated and must be passed in order to be eligible to match to this rotation. Failure to pass will void the intern's match to this rotation.

Goals of the Department of Corrections Track

DRDC/DWCF is a forensic/correctional psychology training program with a commitment to the following goals for psychology interns.
The goals are to teach or enhance the trainee’s knowledge base and experience in the following areas:

1. Recognition and appreciation of the special needs of an adult correctional population.
2. The triage, assessment, and stabilization of adults entering the Colorado prison system.
3. The assessment and development of treatment plans for individual offenders.
4. Working in a correctional setting where mental health treatment is not always a primary consideration. This will involve the development of negotiation and moderation skills to help ensure the provision of appropriate mental health services with due respect for the special rights and issues of a corrections population.
5. The provision of mental health services for offenders with chronic and terminal health conditions.
6. Intervention and stabilization of offenders experiencing emergency mental health needs.

Objectives of the Department of Corrections Track

Gain knowledge and experience needed to function as an integral part of a mental health team within a prison system

1. Perform psychological assessments, both formal and informal.
2. Organize and provide Cognitive-behavioral, psychoeducational, and/or process oriented therapy groups.
3. Provide individual psychotherapy.
4. Engage in crisis intervention.
5. Perform brief screenings and rapid assessment of needs and intervene accordingly.

Specific Training Activities

Theoretical Approaches

Population of Clients

Supervision