Mental Health, Neurodiversity, and Criminal Justice: A Guide for Students and Practitioners

This book is a critical and thorough examination of the relationship between the criminal justice and mental health systems. The chapters cover a wide range of populations, focusing on those with neurodevelopmental disabilities, specifically autism and intellectual disability, mental illnesses such as post-traumatic stress disorder and schizophrenia, substance use disorders, and juveniles. This book covers the entire criminal justice process from initial contact, police questioning, the court system, community and custodial correctional systems, and the forensic mental health system. Specific topics addressed include community interactions and crisis intervention, comprehension of Miranda warnings, competency to stand trial, eyewitness identification procedures, admissibility of expert testimony, defenses of legal responsibility, community corrections, and ethical concerns with incarceration and eligibility for capital punishment.

This book also covers the history and development of the criminal justice, juvenile justice, and mental health systems to contextualize modern-day policies and practices. With student-friendly features, current terminology, inclusive language, and key findings for criminal justice practitioners, this book serves as both a textbook and extensive reference for courses and for those seeking to learn more about these diverse populations and to have a positive impact. The content has international implications.