Module leader: Dr Leon McRae
Module description:
This module is intended to provide students with a detailed understanding of mental health law in the criminal context. It will critically examine the socio-legal justifications for particular state responses to offenders with mental disorder. It will also provide a critical analysis of underlying penal policy, and the impact of European jurisprudence and human rights legislation on contemporary trends in (compulsory) treatment. Where appropriate, students will be referred to comparative approaches in other jurisdictions.
Seminar topics:
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Mentally disordered offenders: conceptions and theoretical orientations
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The Mental Health Act 1983: civil and criminal provisions
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Mental disorder, “risk” and “dangerousness”
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Criminal responsibility and fitness to stand trial
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Imprisonment, treatment and human rights
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Diversion from the criminal justice system
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Psychopathy, rehabilitation and self-governance
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Sex offenders and the law
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Challenging detention
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Childhood mental disorder and crime
Methods of assessment
Modules on the LLM programmes will be assessed in one of the following ways. As this website is set up in advance, it is not possible to specify which method of assessment will be implemented for each module.
Either:
Or
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One 3-hour written examination
If you'd like to find out how a module will be assessed in the forthcoming academic year please contact the LLM Programmes Administrator at Law-LLM@contacts.bham.ac.uk.
Disclaimer
Modules and Courses are constantly updated and under review. As with most academic programmes, please remember that it is possible that a module may not be offered in any particular year, for instance because a member of staff is on study leave or too few students opt for it. The University of Birmingham reserves the right to vary or withdraw any course or module.