Reflections on Developments in Correctional Psychiatry, with Tony Tamburello, MD

Tony Tamburello, MD, shared his insights on recent developments in psychiatry with an emphasis on his field of correctional psychiatry. He noted that advances in pharmacology, particularly safer agents for depression and anxiety, have expanded treatment access and reduced adverse effects compared with previous decades. However, he cautioned against oversimplifying psychiatric care, emphasizing that patients today seek care for increasingly complex issues, including aging, comorbid medical illness, and substance use disorders. Complex patient experience underscores the continued need for psychiatric expertise.

In correctional psychiatry, Tamburello highlighted the renewed emphasis on ethical research with incarcerated populations, following many years of hesitancy after historical concerns about subject protections.1` He pointed out New Jersey’s efforts to expand access to medications for opioid use disorder within the Department of Corrections as a model program, made possible through coordinated support from state leadership, correctional administrators, clinicians, and peer navigators. He emphasized the importance of collaborative, system-level care, noting that psychiatrists in correctional environments must excel in interdisciplinary teamwork.

Tamburello also addressed the role of technology, expressing cautious optimism about artificial intelligence as a tool to assist with data analysis while affirming that psychiatrists must remain accountable for clinical decision-making. He shared his knowledge of programs like the Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative, which trains judges on psychiatric issues in the criminal justice system, and emerging efforts to develop guidance on care for transgender persons in carceral settings.2 He emphasized the need for recognition of psychiatry’s essential role in complex medical care as well.

Dr Tamburello is the associate director of psychiatry at Rutgers University Correctional Health Care, and a clinical professor of psychiatry at the Robert Wood Johnson Medical School.

References

1. Yanofski J. Prisoners v. prisons: a history of correctional mental health rights. Psychiatry (Edgmont). 2010;7(10):41-44.

2. Judges and Psychiatrists Leadership Initiative: collaborating to change behavioral health outcomes in the justice system. American Psychological Association. Accessed October 17, 2025. https://www.apaf.org/our-programs/justice/judges-psychiatrists-leadership-initiative/