Improving the Intersection of Criminal Justice and Mental Health: Challenges and Solutions

Instructions: Write an essay based on the questions presented below. Pick five of the following issues surrounding CJ & Mental Health (you choose your five), and integrate them into one cohesive essay. As you do so, use colored text to distinguish one topic from the next. 
Your essay should follow the same structural guidelines as the writing assignments (e.g., APA 7th). Be sure to cite readings and any multimedia content you refer to from throughout the semester. Use at least 7 sources. Use scholarly sources and use non-scholarly sources only when necessary. 
__________________________________________________________________________
(red) Describe the process of deinstitutionalization that took place in the United States. What was the impetus and ultimate result of this shift?
(blue) Tracking mental health is one of the biggest challenges, how can society do a better job tracking people with mental health challenges? How can tracking be improved within CJ?
(orange) How has treatment been approached within CJ? Suggest ways this process could be improved.
(purple) What level of care should jails have? What about prisons? How could this be managed and funded more effectively than what is currently being done?
(pink) How could the courts improve representing people with mental illness? What legal areas would need to change and why?
(green) Imagine you have a political role in the community, one that allows you to influence the services available to people with mental illness, but your influence has normal limits (i.e., you can’t do everything, and have a budget to maintain) what would you focus on and why? How would you help to prevent people with mental illness from becoming justice involved?
(maroon) Same question as #6, but for people who are now justice involved?
(black) Describe any ways in which your own thoughts and opinions about this subject have evolved as a result of this class, up to this point in the semester.
Mid-Term Exam RubricMid-Term Exam RubricCriteriaRatingsPts
Formatting and References
15 pts
There are no formatting errors
and use of citation to your reading exceeds minimum number required. Uses non-scholarly resources only when necessary. Uses APA or ASA style and is free from any plagiarism concerns. Pts: 15
Engagement with the 3-Cs of CJ
25 pts
Connection to CJ
The 3-Cs of CJ are smoothly defined with appropriate background information from the reading. Pts: 25
Contextualization of Overlap between CJ and Mental Health
25 pts
Perfect
Clearly and smoothly contextualizes the challenges between CJ + Mental Health using concepts/perspectives, employs clear connections between concepts and topic, and leaves no question as to the significance. Attempts to solve the problem in the past/future are clearly and fully explained. Pts: 25
Connection to class discussions & Additional Media Content
25 pts
Perfect
Synthesize, analyze and evaluate thoughtfully selected aspects of ideas or issues from the class discussion as they relate to this topic; as well as from the additional media content. Pts.: 25
Polished, Readability; Professional with a nice conclusion
10 pts
Perfect
Easy to read; grammar, typing, and spelling errors kept to a bare minimum; paper has a nice “flow” to it. Pts: 10