MCCCD Program Description

The Criminal Justice System Handling of the Mentally Ill

Course: AJS255

First Term: 2021 Fall

Lecture 3.0 Credit(s) 3.0 Period(s) 3.0 Load
Subject Type: Occupational
Load Formula: S - Standard Load

Description: An introduction to methods police, court and correctional personnel employ specific to the mentally ill. Covers various types of mental illnesses, police emergency responses, how criminal and civil courts deal with the mentally ill, diversion programs and the correctional response both within the community and under confinement.

MCCCD Official Course Competencies
1. Explain the influence of culture on the definition of mental illness and the treatment of the mentally ill. (I) 2. Describe the treatment of the mentally ill throughout the ages. (I) 3. Describe the three modern periods of mental health reform in the United States. (I) 4. Explain institutionalization and de-institutionalism of the mentally ill. (I) 5. Discuss the intersection of mental illness and homelessness in the United States. (I) 6. Examine the classifications of mental disorders contained in the International Classification of Diseases and the Diagnostic, the Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the Research Domain Criteria with emphasis on illnesses frequently encountered by the police, courts and corrections. (II) 7. Explain how the Americans with Disabilities Act affects police procedures. (III) 8. Discuss violent behavior and mental illness. (III) 9. Review best practices for police handling of mentally ill persons in crisis, including use of force and de-escalation. (III) 10. Describe collaborative police and mental health practitioner responses. (III) 11. Discuss police officer mental health issues and "suicide by cop". (III) 12. Examine the intersection of criminal law and the mental illness, including competency and insanity. (IV) 13. Describe the civil commitment process and controversies surrounding it. (IV) 14. Explain how diversion programs can operate at the police, prosecutor and court levels. (IV) 15. Describe the problems mental illness causes in correctional settings and inmate rights to mental health care. (V) 16. List the different types of community corrections and the challenges they encounter supervising mentally ill persons. (VI) 17. Discuss special community corrections programs for the mentally ill. (VI) 18. Differentiate between the adult criminal justice system and the juvenile system. (VII) 19. Explain mental health disorders frequently encountered in juvenile justice settings and programs to deal with them. (VII)
MCCCD Official Course Competencies must be coordinated with the content outline so that each major point in the outline serves one or more competencies. MCCCD faculty retains authority in determining the pedagogical approach, methodology, content sequencing, and assessment metrics for student work. Please see individual course syllabi for additional information, including specific course requirements.

MCCCD Official Course Outline
I. History A. Culture B. Treatment through the ages C. Modern reform periods D. Institutionalization, de-institutionalization, homelessness II. Mental disorders A. International classification of diseases B. Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders C. Research domain criteria III. Police emergency response A. The Americans with disabilities act B. Violence and mental illness C. Best practices D. De-escalation E. Collaborative response teams F. Police officer mental health and "suicide by cop" IV. Criminal court responses A. The law and mental illness B. Competency and insanity C. Civil commitment D. Diversion programs V. Corrections A. Problems with the mentally ill B. Inmate rights to care VI. Community corrections A. Supervision problems B. Special community programs VII. Juveniles and mental health A. Differences between adult and juvenile criminal justice systems B. Common juvenile mental health disorders C. Programs

MCCCD Governing Board Approval Date: February 23, 2021

All information published is subject to change without notice. Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of information presented, but based on the dynamic nature of the curricular process, course and program information is subject to change in order to reflect the most current information available.