The Intersection of Mental Illness and
Substance Abuse in the Criminal Justice System
The Intersection of Mental Illness and
Substance Abuse in the Criminal Justice System
THE LITERATURE REVIEW IS ATTACHED IN FILES
o Description & Significance: Thoroughly describe the problem/issue and its
significance to social work.
Why is this problem/issue important?
How are people involved in the criminal justice system affected by this
problem? What are the problem’s consequences?
How does the problem relate to mass incarceration?
o Causes: Identify the factors that “cause” the problem. Consider:
How long has this problem been seen as a social problem? Who played a
key role in defining it as a “problem”?
What is the scope of the problem (how many people are affected or
impacted by the problem)?
What population(s) is (are) affected by the problem?
In what ways is the problem impacted by culture, socioeconomics, societal
values, race, ethnicity, gender, power or lack of power, etc.?
Include national, state, and local statistics; incidence and prevalence
figures; and trends if they are available and appropriate to your description.
o Interventions: Describe current or past criminal justice and/or social work
interventions (programs or policies) that have attempted to address this
problem/issue.
What are the logics and problem theories behind these interventions? (See
Fraser & Galinsky and Savaya & Waysman readings)
What have been the limitations or problems with these interventions?
o If you opt for the class presentation, for part of the presentation you will lead the
class in a discussion based on questions or prompts that you will provide at the end
of the presentation.
Paper Guidelines
Your paper should be 6 pages.
Clarity of Writing and Proper APA Format: Paper should be well organized
according to APA formatting with a title page and appropriate use of headings
and subheadings, be nearly free of spelling and grammatical errors, contain
correctly cited references within the paper and at the end, and meet the
minimum page requirements.
You must submit either a .doc or .docx file
SOCIAL WORK PROBLEM PAPER/PRESENTATION RUBRIC
Components Score Comments
Description & Significance: Discuss and provide comprehensive
overview with examples on the problem, including how people involved
in the criminal justice system are affected by this problem, the problem’s
consequences, how the problem relates to mass incarceration, and why
this problem/issue is important to social work.– worth up to 4 points
Causes: Discuss and provide comprehensive overview with examples
and statistics (e.g. national, state, and local statistics; incidence and
prevalence figures; and trends if they are available and appropriate to
your description) of the factors that “cause” the problem, including when
this was first recognized as a social problem, the scope of the problem
(how many people are affected or impacted by the problem), the
population(s) affected by the problem, and ways the problem is impacted
by culture, socioeconomics, societal values, race, ethnicity, gender,
power or lack of power, etc. – worth up to 4 points
Interventions: Discuss and provide comprehensive overview with
examples on current or past criminal justice and/or social work
interventions (programs or policies) that have attempted to address this
problem/issue, including the logics and problem theories behind these
interventions as well as the limitations or problems with these
interventions.– worth up to 4 points
Literature Review: Content is based on a thorough literature review,
with a minimum of six (6) references from peer-reviewed academic
journals ** ATTACHED IN FILES as well as reputable government, private sector, or non-profit
sources.– worth up to 4 points
Writing/Presentation & APA Formatting– worth up to 4 points
For the paper option:
APA used to format paper (title page, 1” margins, double-spaced, 12 pt.
Times New Roman font); adhered to page count (5-7 pages, not
including title page or reference page); headings and subheadings used
for the 3 major sections and their subsections; in-text citations and
reference page are present and follow APA format; paper has few
spelling and grammar errors and written expression is clear and to the
point.
For the presentation option:
The presentation was well-organized, clear, and engaging. The student
demonstrated their understanding of the topic. If references were cited in
the presentation, in-text citations and reference pages are present and
follow APA format.