Nursing within the Criminal Justice System
Curriculum guideline
Effective Date:
Course
Discontinued
Yes
Course code
PNUR 3724
Descriptive
Nursing within the Criminal Justice System
Department
Nursing - Psychiatric
Faculty
Health Sciences
Credits
3.00
Start date
End term
200930
PLAR
Yes
Semester length
15
Max class size
25
Contact hours
Student Directed Learning 10 hours per week
Method(s) of instruction
Hybrid
Learning activities
- Self-study Print Materials
- Reading Assignments
- Tutor Assistance
- Teleconference
- E-mail (optional)
Course description
This distance education learning course introduces the learner to the concept of nursing within the Criminal Justice System from a Canadian provincial and federal context of practice. The course will examine advanced practice nursing roles in the context of federal and provincial correctional and forensic environments. Advanced practice roles include: nursing leadership in correctional and forensic health units, Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE), expanded scope of nursing practice in working with individuals living with episodic and ongoing health challenges, crisis intervention, risk assessment and management in secure and community settings, infectious disease prevalence, incidence, monitoring and treatment modalities, and health promotion interventions are addressed. Legal and ethical issues and frameworks will be explored in accordance with the Criminal Code of Canada, provincial legislative acts, Health Professions Act governing nursing practice, as well as emerging trends and issues in the field of correctional and forensic mental health nursing.
Course content
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO NURSING WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Identify and describe health care services and systems within:
- Federal correctional services of Canada
- Provincial correctional services
- Provincial forensic psychiatric services commission of British Columbia
UNIT 2: LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN WORKING WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Identify and describe legalities in working with client groups across the criminal justice systems and ethical frameworks guiding nursing practice:
- Corrections of Canada
- Federal forensic system
- Provincial forensic system
- Criminal stream
- Civil stream
- Issues in providing evidence to the court
- Frameworks guiding ethical nursing practice
UNIT 3: THE ROLE OF THE NURSE WORKING WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Discuss the scope of correctional and forensic nursing practice across the criminal justice systems:
- Professional issues in relation to conduct, professional boundaries, and therapeutic alliances
- Professional practice issues in relation to standards of nursing practice, and competencies of the nurse working across the criminal justice systems, e.g., federal forensic nursing, provincial remand settings, and community forensic nursing
- Legal issues in relation to the Criminal Code of Canada , Canada Health Act, Mental Health Act, and violation orders
- Ethical issues in relation to the code of ethics for nurses working across the criminal justice system
UNIT 4: NURSING LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Discuss concepts and models that enhance nursing leadership within the context of the criminal justice system:
- Interdisciplinary membership roles and responsibilities
- Models of interpersonal communication
- Models of conflict resolution
- Models of case management, e.g., assertive case management
- Risk assessment and management tools
- Community resources and services, e.g., role of probation services, John Howard and Elizabeth Fry societies
- Neuman Systems Model applied to health assessment of client groups (individual, aggregates, family, and community)
UNIT 5: FORENSIC NURSING IN THE CONTEXT OF SEXUAL ASSAULT: THE SEXUAL ASSAULT NURSE EXAMINER (SANE)
Discuss the needs of the sexual assault victim and the specialized role of the SANE
- Historical evidence supporting the SANE Model
- Health issues related to the victim of sexual assault
- Consider the forensic legal implications such as Sexual Assault Examination Kit (SAEK) and “chain of custody.”
- Consider the specialized need of diverse client groups
- Review current legislation and acts as they relate to the SANE program
- Analyzing ethical dilemmas related to role strain.
- Examine factors influencing community needs using Neuman’s Model related to SANE programs
UNIT 6: PROMOTING HEALTH ACROSS THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
Discuss health promotion models and nursing interventions with:
- Health issues related to women in secure settings
- Management of communicable and infections diseases, e.g., Hepatitis A, B, C, HIV-positive, TB
- Management of psychiatric conditions and cluster B - personality disorders, e.g., anti-social, and borderline.
Learning outcomes
- Describe the scope of nursing practice in relation to correctional and forensic nursing across federal and provincial jurisdictions.
- Discuss legal and ethical issues and apply ethical frameworks in working with individuals in correctional and forensic environments.
- Discuss elements of the Criminal Code of Canada, Mental Health Act, and implications related to providing health care services to individuals living in secure environments.
- Discuss episodic and ongoing health issues and health promotion interventions in working with adolescents, women, and men in secure environments.
- Discuss the largest subspecialty of Forensic Nursing Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner Programs
- Describe models of professional leadership, communication, case management, conflict resolution, crisis intervention, vicarious trauma, risk assessment and management in working as a member of the interdisciplinary health care team in correctional and forensic environments.
- Apply the Neuman Systems Model health assessment tools (holistic health assessment) in order to plan health promotion interventions for individuals and groups living in secure environments, and community forensic settings.
- Integrate key concepts and theories related to nursing practice for client groups who present with exemplars such as: substance use/dependency, infectious/communicable diseases, behaviours associated with anxiety, depression, suicidal, homicidal, elation, aggression, withdrawal from reality, and Cluster B – personality traits (anti-social, borderline, and narcissistic).
- Demonstrate awareness of the key role that nurses have in providing evidence to the court systems.
- Demonstrate knowledge of community resources and services available to individuals who are being transitioned back into community living situations.
Means of assessment
Evidence of learning is demonstrated through:
- Application of concepts to self
- Application of concepts to clinical practice or field work
- Application of concepts to others
The selection of evaluation tools for this course is based upon:
- Adherence to college evaluation policy regarding number and weighing of evaluations, for example a course of three credits or more should have at least three separate evaluations.
- A developmental approach to evaluation that is sequenced and progressive.
- Evaluation is used as a teaching tool for both students and instructors.
- Commitment to student participation in evaluation through such processes as self and peer evaluation, and program/ instructor evaluation.
Textbook materials
Textbooks and Materials to be Purchased by Students
Tarko, M. A. (2005). PNUR 3724 – Nursing within the criminal justice system (2nd edition). New Westminster, British Columbia, Canada: Douglas College.
Prerequisites