CJ 537 Mental Health and the Criminal Justice System

Empirical evidence supports that there are a disproportionate number of individuals with serious mental illness (e.g. schizophrenia, bipolar disorder) who are involved in the criminal justice system. The National Alliance on Mental Illness estimates that in the state of Connecticut, approximately 16% of the justice-involved population is diagnosed with a serious mental illness (NAMI, 2016). Such justice involvement includes interaction with and subsequent arrest by law enforcement, continued court involvement, lengthy periods of incarceration, and/or state supervision. Therefore, this course focuses on the manner in which individuals with serious mental illness are processed within the criminal justice system. Additionally, the course prepared criminal justice administrators for assisting community members experiencing mental health crisis, with a focus on available services and interventions in Connecticut. Further, students will develop the skills to compare and contrast the realities of mental illness and co-occurring disorders to typical criminal justice system responses.  This course is linked with CRM 471. No credit will be given for linked equivalent.