CRJS 2120 - Mental Health and Addiction in Criminal Justice

Credit(s): 3
Lecture Hour(s): 3
Lecture Hours Schedule Type: Lecture
In this course, students will critically examine the connection between mental health, addiction, and the criminal justice system, as well as the management of drug users across social institutions. In this course, we will explore the idea that mental health and addiction cannot be understood as biological phenomena or individual issues, but instead flow from broader societal influences and contexts, from structural and cultural to political, economic and interpersonal forces. Themes considered may include :

1. theories of drug use and drug culture, as well as perspectives on addiction and mental illness;
2. social constructions of drug use and mental health;
3. the relationship between mental health disorders, drug use and social disadvantage;
4. social norms around drug use and mental health;
5. drug policy, criminalization, and regulation, with an emphasis on the treatment of individuals with mental health and substance use disorders within the justice system.

This course will empower students to think critically about issues surrounding mental health and addiction and its control.  

Prerequisite(s): CRJS 1001