CJ 4450 - Exploring the Criminalization of Mental Illness and its Impact on Incarceration

(3 Units)

Course introduces students to the history of deinstitutionalization of psychiatric hospitals and its relationship to the growth of the corrections industry in the 20th and 21st century. Course will survey topics ranging from learning about offender rehabilitation and mental health programs in incarceration settings, the psychological impact of punitive punishment policies such as solitary confinement, behavioral management of offenders with comorbid disorders, examining mental health by gender in the prison context, and understanding the assessment and treatment of incarcerated sex offenders. Using criminological theories, primary source scholarship, and a textbook, this course emphasizes a biopsychosocial approach to understanding the policies, programs, and mental health laws effecting an estimated 20% of U.S. prisoners who have a diagnosed serious mental disorder.

Prerequisites: CJ 2250 and CJ 2280, or consent of instructor.

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