Forensic Care Academy

Research Summary

The Forensic Care Academy is an interdisciplinary training initiative designed to prepare healthcare professionals, correctional staff, law enforcement, and students for the complex realities of working within carceral systems. The Academy will provide flexible, evidence-informed training that builds specialized clinical knowledge, interpersonal skills, ethical decision-making, and reflective practices for high-stress, high-stakes environments.

Through simulation-based and competency-based learning, participants will engage with realistic scenarios, including experiences involving live actors and content developed alongside practitioners and community partners. Building on existing UCCS scholarship, curriculum, and community relationships, the Academy creates a bridge between research and practice while strengthening the professionals who provide care and services within the criminal legal system.

The Problem: Correctional healthcare professionals serve populations with significant physical, behavioral health, and substance-use needs, yet many enter these uniquely challenging environments without specialized training or reliable professional development resources. This gap leaves clinicians and other frontline professionals searching for guidance that may not reflect the ethical, interpersonal, and systemic complexities of working within carceral settings.
The Innovation: The Forensic Care Academy creates a dedicated, interdisciplinary training hub built specifically for the correctional environment. Flexible online learning, realistic simulations, competency-based instruction, and practitioner-developed content will allow participants to build and practice skills grounded in the situations they encounter on the job. The Academy also integrates emerging UCCS resources—including a Moral Injury Mitigation Toolkit and interdisciplinary trauma-informed forensic care curriculum—to create a scalable approach to workforce development.

Community and Industry Impact

The Forensic Care Academy strengthens the regional workforce by giving correctional healthcare providers, law enforcement professionals, and other practitioners access to training designed around their actual working environments. Partnerships with organizations such as the Colorado Department of Corrections, El Paso County Sheriff's Office, probation and parole departments, and community health providers will help ensure that training responds directly to workforce needs. Supporting these frontline professionals can, in turn, strengthen the care and services available to people involved in the criminal legal system and the broader community.

Student Engagement and Mentorship

The Academy creates a pathway for students to develop specialized skills before entering careers in correctional healthcare, criminal justice, behavioral health, probation, parole, law enforcement, and community organizations. Interdisciplinary learning and engagement with experienced practitioners will connect academic preparation to real-world practice, while providing opportunities for students to build professional relationships that can continue beyond graduation.

Increasing UCCS Visibility

The Forensic Care Academy positions UCCS to become a recognized leader in forensic healthcare education and trauma-informed approaches to working within the criminal legal system. By combining Social Work and Criminal Justice expertise with applied scholarship, simulation-based education, and strong community partnerships, the initiative demonstrates how UCCS can translate research into scalable workforce solutions with regional and potentially national relevance.

Timeline

PROJECT DELIVERABLES

Training content co-developed with practitioners and system partners
Learning opportunities for UCCS students across disciplines
Community and agency partnership network supporting content development and implementation
Evaluation framework to assess training effectiveness and inform future development
Scalable model for expanding forensic care education beyond the region

Phase 1

Partnership & Program Development

Engage correctional healthcare, law enforcement, probation, parole, and community health partners.
Identify priority workforce training needs.
Recruit subject-matter experts and practitioners for content development.
Review existing UCCS forensic care curriculum and research for integration.
Define Academy audiences, competencies, and learning outcomes.

Phase 2

Curriculum & Academy Development

Design the structure of the online training hub.
Develop initial competency-based learning modules.
Design simulation and scenario-based learning experiences.
Develop participant and facilitator resources.

Phase 3

Pilot and Evaluation

Pilot initial Academy modules with students and professional participants.
Conduct simulation-based training experiences.
Gather participant and partner feedback.
Evaluate usability, relevance, learning outcomes, and workforce applicability.
Refine curriculum and delivery based on findings.

Professional Bio

Stephanie Gangemi, PhD, LCSW, CCHP is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Social Work within the UCCS College of Public Service. Her scholarship focuses on correctional healthcare, law enforcement, forensic social work, and the experiences of professionals working within the criminal legal system. Before entering academia, Dr. Gangemi spent a decade working in correctional mental health, serving in roles ranging from clinician to Director of Mental Health at facilities including Rikers Island and the El Paso County Jail. She also founded the El Paso County Sheriff’s Office Behavioral Health Connect Unit (BHCON) and currently serves on the Committee for Policy and Research for the National Commission on Correctional Health Care.

Dr. Gangemi brings her applied experience into research, teaching, and workforce development initiatives designed to strengthen forensic care. Her work includes developing and teaching graduate-level Forensic Social Work curriculum, creating a Moral Injury Mitigation Toolkit with correctional healthcare providers, and supporting development of an interdisciplinary Trauma-Informed Forensic Care Certificate at UCCS. Through this work, she connects research and practice to better prepare students and professionals for the complex realities of providing care within criminal legal settings.