Disability, Crime and Justice

This subject engages with the common belief that criminal justice systems have become 'the new asylums' for people with disabilities. It will introduce students to the historical, structural and socio-cultural factors contributing to the disproportionate contact of people with disabilities with the criminal justice system, including their current over-representation within prisons. The subject will also evaluate the different ways governments have attempted to reduce the flow of people with disabilities into the criminal justice system, exploring the development of preventative and protective mechanisms within both civil and criminal law, and examine the consequences of these mechanisms on the lives of people with disabilities.