Mass Incarceration and Direct Practice

Catalog description

This course examines direct social work practice within and related to the criminal legal system and the role of social work and other helping professions in shaping these practices. This course focuses on prevention and intervention strategies that address the high incarceration and reincarceration of people with mental health challenges, the overrepresentation of people of color in carceral and community supervision settings, and supportive services that facilitate community reintegration following incarceration. This course will provide students with a foundational knowledge of effective interventions at various points across the criminal legal system, historical and current rehabilitation and correctional theories that guide prevention, diversion, and rehabilitation interventions, and the sociopolitical and policy context that shapes the criminal legal systems response to individuals, families, and communities. Key developments and innovations in practice will be highlighted - such as trauma-informed, human-rights-informed, and gender-responsive approaches - with attention to social identities and individual characteristics that can impact treatment options and influence outcomes.