CRIM 517 - Reconceptualizing Criminal Justice Involvement of Persons with Mental Illness

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This course explores the criminalization of the mentally ill “offender”; how and why the mentally ill become involved with the criminal justice system; and responses from community, behavioral health, and the criminal justice systems. Topics include deinstitutionalization of the mentally ill, law enforcement and court-based responses, mental health and corrections, community supervision of individuals with mental illness, violence and mental illness, and challenges associated with women and juveniles. Students are introduced to theoretical models within criminology, criminal justice, and behavioral health science to understand causes for the disproportionate presence of the mentally ill in the criminal justice system, empirical findings on alternatives for consideration, and the intersections between community, mental or behavioral health, and the criminal justice system in improving outcomes.