This course is designed to provide social work students with the knowledge and skill capacity to practice social work in the criminal justice system in America. The course is divided into three parts. Part one is an overview of current trends of crime and the criminal justice system and process. The major components include the police as an institution, adjudication by the courts, and corrections. Secondly, it addresses risk assessment and management of violence in the community, with a focus on conflict management, capital punishment, retributive, rehabilitative, and restorative justice. The third part addresses a variety of social work practice settings, including the public defender’s office, probation, courts, psychiatric hospitals, child protective services, and prisons.
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