The main argument emerging from this review of correctional assessment and treatment is that the need for innovative and cost-effective assessment and treatment for offenders has never been greater. There are increasing numbers of seriously mentally ill individuals and substance addicted individuals incarcerated around the country at the same time that resources are scarce and are increasingly being diverted to other areas of the criminal justice system. However, the field of correctional psychology is moving toward a biopsychosocial understanding of human behavior that will transform the role of psychologists and is expected to guide improvements in correctional assessment, treatment, and research. Specific areas of interest for correctional mental health care that are expected to be highlighted in coming years include: dimensional assessment, suicide risk assessment, neuropsychological factors involved with chronic maladaptive behavior, prescriptive authority for psychologists, and telehealth. The effectiveness of correctional psychologists’ work will become increasingly tied to outcome research on a broad range of interventions. However, the degree of impact that psychologists will have in the near future will depend largely on their ability to promote the benefits of their services to the correctional field. References