Project 39A in collaboration with Eleos Justice at Monash University has developed a course on forensic mental health and criminal justice. This four week course explores the legal and forensic mental health aspects in three broad areas – fitness to stand trial, the defense of insanity, and the role of mental health in capital punishment cases. The course also has a comparative law element with experts from the UK and Australia. For an interactive and engaging experience, it has been designed to include discussions, polls, case studies and quizzes in addition to the lectures by the experts. The course has been curated on the basis of the extensive research and criminal defense work conducted by Project 39A in the area of mental health and criminal justice.
Understand the relevance of mental health in the criminal justice system
Though it can severely impact access to a fair trial, there is very little discussion on the intersection of mental health of the accused and the criminal justice system. This is mainly due to a lack of awareness and expertise on issues of mental health in the legal community.
In this four-week course, through videos, quizzes and additional reading materials, you’ll explore the various stages where the mental health of the accused is an important consideration and its bearing on access to justice.
Learn how to overcome challenges in forensic mental health
You’ll identify the legal and forensic mental health aspects in three broad areas; fitness to stand trial, the defense of insanity, and the role of mental health in capital punishment cases.
This understanding will help you develop the conceptual foundations of forensic mental health before you explore the practical barriers in raising mental health considerations and litigating them successfully.
Apply your knowledge of criminal law and mental health to real cases
The course not only deals with the legal aspect but also discusses the importance of forensic mental health evaluations. You’ll gain an insight into forensic psychiatry assessments, best practices, and important concepts accessible to practitioners and students of law or forensic mental health.
You’ll then discover how you can apply your new skills and knowledge to actual cases, helping you develop a cohesive strategy to deal with cases with mental health considerations and improve access to justice.
What topics will you cover?
This 4 week course will cover the relevance of the accused person’s mental health within the criminal justice system and the various stages where it intersects with criminal law. The course will cover the legal and forensic mental health aspects in three broad areas- fitness to stand trial, the defense of insanity, and the role of mental health in capital punishment cases.
The course will cover Indian law and incorporate a comparative element by including discussions under Australian law and International law.
The modules will cover the conceptual foundations, existing procedures, clinical and judicial determination, and the barriers involved in litigating mental health concerns in criminal law. Each module is accompanied by a compendium of Indian law and comparative case law to aid the learning process.
When would you like to start?
Start straight away and learn at your own pace. If the course hasn’t started yet you’ll see the future date listed below.
Who will you learn with?
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Maitreyi Misra heads the work on mental health and criminal justice along with death penalty mitigation at Project 39A, National Law University Delhi.
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Judge Michael O’Connell was appointed to the County Court of Victoria, Australia, in 2017, prior to which he was the Chairperson of the Criminal Bar Association.
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Saul Lehfreund is the Co-Executive Director of the Death Penalty Project, UK.
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Soumya AK is a Research Associate with the mental health and criminal justice team at Project 39A, National Law University Delhi.
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Dr. Richard Latham is a forensic psychiatrist working in the NHS in London, UK.
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Dr Bhavika Vajawat is a Senior Resident in Forensic Psychiatry at the National Institute of Mental Health & Neurosciences (NIMHANS), Bengaluru, India.
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Dr Danny Sullivan is the Executive Director of clinical services at Forensicare, Victorian Institute of Forensic Mental Health, Victoria, Australia.
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