IMH Seminar Series - Towards a critical criminology of mental health

In this seminar, Sam will be talking about her new edited collection 'Mental health, crime and justice', where she and her co-editor, Dr Julie Trebilcock, explore the relationship between mental health and crime by deconstructing and analysing two parts important facets of the justice system: the various ways in which people with mental ill health navigate and are navigated through the criminal justice (and forensic mental health) system(s); and how so called 'problematised populations' are governed, with a particular emphasis on mental health as an unfolding dimension of social harm. By considering the multifaceted dimensions of 'violence', Sam and Julie call for an agenda of critically informed work that places emphasis on the harm and injustice that people with mental ill health are subject to when interacting with the criminal justice system and beyond. 

Biography 

Dr Sam Weston is an Associate Professor in Criminology and Head of Department for Social Policy, Sociology and Criminology. Her expertise lies within the area of risk prevention and early intervention. Through her research, Sam has encouraged the use of criminology as an interdisciplinary lens to understand the intersections between health, social care and criminal justice, with a specific focus on drug use and mental ill health.