Internship Location: Madison
Organization Type: State Government
Policy Areas: Social Justice, Health Justice
Role: SWSDIP Forensic Systems Intern/Program and Policy Analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services in the Division of Care and Treatment Services at the Bureau of Community Forensic Services.
This summer, I worked as a SWSDIP Forensic Systems Intern and Program and Policy Analyst for the Wisconsin Department of Health Services, Division of Care and Treatment Services, within the Bureau of Community Forensic Services (BCFS). The Bureau oversees vital programs for individuals with complex behavioral health needs who are also involved in the criminal legal system. These include the Conditional Release Program (for those found Not Guilty by Reason of Mental Disease or Defect), the Opening Avenues to Reentry Success (OARS) Program (for individuals reentering communities from prison), Outpatient Competency Examination and Restoration Programs (focused on legal competency), and the Supervised Release Program (for individuals discharged from civil commitment as sexually violent persons). Collectively, these programs serve individuals who face overlapping structural vulnerabilities: mental illness, substance use disorders, poverty, and housing instability. BCFS aims to reduce recidivism and promote public safety while prioritizing treatment, support, and rehabilitation. However, these goals exist within a deeply under-resourced and often fragmented system. A persistent lack of investment in community infrastructure—particularly affordable housing, long-term treatment capacity, and wraparound supports—has created conditions where individuals are criminalized for unmet behavioral health and social needs. Psychiatric hospitals, jails, and community programs are frequently forced to operate beyond their capacity. Delays in appropriate discharge options create bottlenecks in the system, exacerbating incarceration rates, prolonging hospitalizations, and contributing to a public health crisis that increasingly overlaps with the criminal legal system. Importantly, these failures are not experienced equally. Black, Indigenous, and other people of color are disproportionately represented in forensic populations and face higher barriers to release, such as discrimination in housing, resource limitations, and exclusion from services. For individuals with fewer socioeconomic resources, reentry is not simply a matter of treatment success—it hinges on whether community infrastructure can support them. Too often, it cannot. This internship allowed me to explore how state systems might better align with community needs and what role data, evaluation, and policy design can play in creating more equitable outcomes. I’ve long been interested in how developmental science can inform public systems—particularly how trauma, poverty, and system involvement shape youth and family trajectories. This opportunity gave me real-world insight into the operational and political challenges of delivering effective services to high-needs populations, and how evidence-based, community-anchored reforms might address those challenges.