Correctional Behavioral Health Certification - Behavioral Specialty (CBHC-BS) Practice
Exam
1. According to the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC)
standards, which principle best defines "behavioral health" in a correctional setting?
A) The treatment of mental illness only
B) A continuum of services addressing mental health, substance use, and behavioral
issues that impact an individual's well-being and institutional adjustment
C) The management of aggressive behavior through disciplinary segregation
D) The psychological assessment of inmates for parole boards
Answer: B
Explanation: Correctional behavioral health is a comprehensive concept. It includes the
prevention, screening, assessment, and treatment of mental illness, substance use
disorders, and problematic behaviors that affect an individual's mental and emotional well-
being, functioning, and adjustment to the correctional environment.
2. A primary ethical principle guiding behavioral health staff in corrections is:
A) Maintaining custody and control as the highest priority
B) Ensuring that patient confidentiality is absolute and never breached
C) Upholding a dual obligation to provide ethical care and maintain facility safety/security
D) Deferring all clinical decisions to security staff
Answer: C
Explanation: Correctional behavioral health professionals operate under a dual-role
relationship. They have an ethical duty to provide competent care to their patients
(inmates) while also acknowledging a duty to the institution's security and the safety of
others. Balancing these can create ethical tensions.
,3. Which screening tool is widely recommended for initial identification of inmates at risk
for suicide upon intake to a correctional facility?
A) The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
B) The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
C) The Suicide Risk Assessment (SRA) or a structured intake screen like the Jail Screening
Assessment Tool (JSAT)
D) The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R)
Answer: C
Explanation: Initial intake screening for suicide risk should be a brief, standardized
process. Tools like a Suicide Risk Assessment (SRA) or the Jail Screening Assessment Tool
(JSAT) are designed for this rapid identification of acute risk factors in a correctional intake
setting.
4. The phenomenon where an inmate's behavior and symptoms deteriorate due to the
stressors of incarceration is known as:
A) Malingering
B) Institutionalization
C) Prisonization
D) Situational decompensation
Answer: B
Explanation: Institutionalization (or "prisonization") refers to the process where an
individual adapts to the norms, culture, and environmental stressors of a prison, which can
lead to a loss of autonomy, dependency on the institution, and exacerbation of mental
health symptoms.
5. What is the most critical first step when a behavioral health provider learns an inmate
has a specific plan and intent to harm another inmate?
, A) Document the conversation in the next scheduled progress note.
B) Explore the inmate's feelings about the target in-depth.
C) Maintain confidentiality to preserve therapeutic alliance.
D) Take action to warn the intended victim and notify security, following duty-to-
warn/protect protocols.
Answer: D
Explanation: The duty to warn and protect (stemming from *Tarasoff*) overrides
confidentiality when a patient presents a serious threat of violence to an identifiable victim.
The provider must take reasonable steps to protect the potential victim, which in
corrections involves immediate notification of security staff.
6. According to best practices, the primary goal of crisis intervention in a correctional
setting is to:
A) Diagnose the underlying mental illness
B) De-escalate the immediate situation and ensure safety
C) Administer medication as quickly as possible
D) Determine appropriate disciplinary action
Answer: B
Explanation: The immediate goal of crisis intervention is stabilization. Using de-
escalation techniques (verbal and non-verbal) to reduce agitation, prevent harm, and
restore safety is paramount. Diagnosis and long-term treatment planning occur after the
crisis is contained.
7. Which symptom presentation is most characteristic of malingering in a correctional
environment?
A) Symptoms that are vague, inconsistent, and appear only during evaluations for
secondary gain (e.g., transfer, medication, avoiding work)
, B) Symptoms that are clearly documented in prior records and observed by multiple staff
C) Symptoms that improve with appropriate treatment
D) Symptoms of a severe, chronic mental illness like schizophrenia
Answer: A
Explanation: Malingering is the intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated
physical or psychological symptoms, motivated by external incentives. In corrections,
common incentives include obtaining medication, avoiding undesirable housing or work, or
seeking transfer to a mental health unit.
8. The use of seclusion or restraint for behavioral control in a correctional mental health
unit should be:
A) A first-line intervention for non-compliance
B) Used only as a last resort when there is an imminent risk of harm, and less restrictive
measures have failed
C) Determined solely by security staff based on protocol
D) Applied for fixed periods as a behavioral consequence
Answer: B
Explanation: National standards (NCCHC, ACA) and ethical guidelines mandate that
seclusion and restraint are emergency safety interventions, not treatment or punishment.
They must be used only when there is an imminent risk of physical harm, and they must be
implemented in the least restrictive manner for the shortest duration possible.
9. A key component of a behavioral intervention plan for an inmate with Intellectual and
Developmental Disability (IDD) is to:
A) Use complex verbal instructions to improve cognitive functioning
B) Rely on punitive measures for rule violations
C) Implement consistent routines, simplified instructions, and visual aids
Exam
1. According to the National Commission on Correctional Health Care (NCCHC)
standards, which principle best defines "behavioral health" in a correctional setting?
A) The treatment of mental illness only
B) A continuum of services addressing mental health, substance use, and behavioral
issues that impact an individual's well-being and institutional adjustment
C) The management of aggressive behavior through disciplinary segregation
D) The psychological assessment of inmates for parole boards
Answer: B
Explanation: Correctional behavioral health is a comprehensive concept. It includes the
prevention, screening, assessment, and treatment of mental illness, substance use
disorders, and problematic behaviors that affect an individual's mental and emotional well-
being, functioning, and adjustment to the correctional environment.
2. A primary ethical principle guiding behavioral health staff in corrections is:
A) Maintaining custody and control as the highest priority
B) Ensuring that patient confidentiality is absolute and never breached
C) Upholding a dual obligation to provide ethical care and maintain facility safety/security
D) Deferring all clinical decisions to security staff
Answer: C
Explanation: Correctional behavioral health professionals operate under a dual-role
relationship. They have an ethical duty to provide competent care to their patients
(inmates) while also acknowledging a duty to the institution's security and the safety of
others. Balancing these can create ethical tensions.
,3. Which screening tool is widely recommended for initial identification of inmates at risk
for suicide upon intake to a correctional facility?
A) The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)
B) The Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI)
C) The Suicide Risk Assessment (SRA) or a structured intake screen like the Jail Screening
Assessment Tool (JSAT)
D) The Psychopathy Checklist-Revised (PCL-R)
Answer: C
Explanation: Initial intake screening for suicide risk should be a brief, standardized
process. Tools like a Suicide Risk Assessment (SRA) or the Jail Screening Assessment Tool
(JSAT) are designed for this rapid identification of acute risk factors in a correctional intake
setting.
4. The phenomenon where an inmate's behavior and symptoms deteriorate due to the
stressors of incarceration is known as:
A) Malingering
B) Institutionalization
C) Prisonization
D) Situational decompensation
Answer: B
Explanation: Institutionalization (or "prisonization") refers to the process where an
individual adapts to the norms, culture, and environmental stressors of a prison, which can
lead to a loss of autonomy, dependency on the institution, and exacerbation of mental
health symptoms.
5. What is the most critical first step when a behavioral health provider learns an inmate
has a specific plan and intent to harm another inmate?
, A) Document the conversation in the next scheduled progress note.
B) Explore the inmate's feelings about the target in-depth.
C) Maintain confidentiality to preserve therapeutic alliance.
D) Take action to warn the intended victim and notify security, following duty-to-
warn/protect protocols.
Answer: D
Explanation: The duty to warn and protect (stemming from *Tarasoff*) overrides
confidentiality when a patient presents a serious threat of violence to an identifiable victim.
The provider must take reasonable steps to protect the potential victim, which in
corrections involves immediate notification of security staff.
6. According to best practices, the primary goal of crisis intervention in a correctional
setting is to:
A) Diagnose the underlying mental illness
B) De-escalate the immediate situation and ensure safety
C) Administer medication as quickly as possible
D) Determine appropriate disciplinary action
Answer: B
Explanation: The immediate goal of crisis intervention is stabilization. Using de-
escalation techniques (verbal and non-verbal) to reduce agitation, prevent harm, and
restore safety is paramount. Diagnosis and long-term treatment planning occur after the
crisis is contained.
7. Which symptom presentation is most characteristic of malingering in a correctional
environment?
A) Symptoms that are vague, inconsistent, and appear only during evaluations for
secondary gain (e.g., transfer, medication, avoiding work)
, B) Symptoms that are clearly documented in prior records and observed by multiple staff
C) Symptoms that improve with appropriate treatment
D) Symptoms of a severe, chronic mental illness like schizophrenia
Answer: A
Explanation: Malingering is the intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated
physical or psychological symptoms, motivated by external incentives. In corrections,
common incentives include obtaining medication, avoiding undesirable housing or work, or
seeking transfer to a mental health unit.
8. The use of seclusion or restraint for behavioral control in a correctional mental health
unit should be:
A) A first-line intervention for non-compliance
B) Used only as a last resort when there is an imminent risk of harm, and less restrictive
measures have failed
C) Determined solely by security staff based on protocol
D) Applied for fixed periods as a behavioral consequence
Answer: B
Explanation: National standards (NCCHC, ACA) and ethical guidelines mandate that
seclusion and restraint are emergency safety interventions, not treatment or punishment.
They must be used only when there is an imminent risk of physical harm, and they must be
implemented in the least restrictive manner for the shortest duration possible.
9. A key component of a behavioral intervention plan for an inmate with Intellectual and
Developmental Disability (IDD) is to:
A) Use complex verbal instructions to improve cognitive functioning
B) Rely on punitive measures for rule violations
C) Implement consistent routines, simplified instructions, and visual aids
