Course Description
Students will be introduced to the concept of nursing within the Criminal Justice System from a Canadian provincial and federal context of practice. 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. The course will examine nursing roles and interprofessional collaboration in the context of federal and provincial correctional and forensic institutions. Expanded practice roles include nursing leadership in correctional and forensic health units. Expanded scope of nursing practice within the CJS are explored including Sexual Assault Nurse Examiners programs and nurses' role in risk assessment. The needs of specialized population within the CJS are explored including the needs of women and family within the forensic system and the prevalence and management of personality disorders within the forensic setting. Episodic and ongoing health challenges and and infectious disease prevalence, incidence, monitoring are addressed. Vicarious Trauma and Secondary Trauma Stress in nurses and forensic nurses and the need for self- care plans for prevention and resilience are highlighted.
Course Content
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO NURSING WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
- Identify the primary sources of law and types of legislation established by the Canadian Judicial System
- Identify basic facts associated with the Correctional Service of Canada as a part of the Criminal Justice System
- Discuss the scope of nursing practice within the Criminal Justice System in Canada.
- Identify the types of health care services provided within the context of federal and provincial Correctional Services of Canada.
- Identify the types of forensic health care services provided within the context of federal and provincial forensic psychiatric services.
UNIT 2: LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN WORKING WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
- Identify key concepts within the Canadian legal system
- Differentiate civil law from criminal law and links to nursing practice in Canada
- Discuss legal concepts and issues in working with client groups across the criminal justice systems
- Discuss ethical concepts, issues, and ethical frameworks guiding nursing practice across the Criminal Justice Systems·
UNIT 3: THE ROLE OF THE NURSE WORKING WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
- Describe the scope of correctional and forensic nursing practice across the Criminal Justice Systems
- Identify professional issues in relation to conduct, professional boundaries, and therapeutic alliances
- Identify professional practice issues in relation to professional 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
UNIT 4: NURSING LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
- Discuss concepts related to nursing leadership and management
- Identify interprofessional collaboration and membership roles and responsibilities
- Describe models of interpersonal communication
- Review the purpose of nursing documentation and legal requirements
- Apply models of conflict resolution to clinical situations
- Describe models of case management, e.g., assertive case management
- Discuss risk assessment and management tools including the forensic nurse’s role in risk assessment.
- Consider the limitation in actuarial risk assessment related to static risk factors, dynamic risks factor, and clinical impression.
- Describe community resources and services, e.g., role of probation services, John Howard and Elizabeth Fry societies
UNIT 5: THE SEXUAL ASSAULT NURSE EXAMINER (SANE) IN THE CONTEXT OF FORENSIC NURSING
- Examine the historical considerations that support the development of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program
- Identify the role of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and general components of the sexual assault exam, exam options, reporting options, sexual assault evidence kit (SAEK), preventative and treatment care (sexually transmitted infections (STI's), pregnancy and Hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS)
- Identify the nurse's role in case management and the interprofessional collaboration, roles and responsibilities in the treatment of sexual assault including the treatment and prevention of Rape Trauma Syndrome
- Describe the use of drugs in sexual assault and implication to SANE.
- Describe the care of the pediatric sexual assault patient
- Identify programs within your own community to meet the needs of adult and pediatric victims of sexual assault and analyze limitations or gaps in such services
- Describe the aetiology of Vicarious Trauma (VT) and Secondary Trauma Stress(STS)
- Discuss the potential risk for and prevention of VT and STS to nurses and forensic nurses and consider the need for self-care plans for prevention and resilience
UNIT 6: Promoting Health Across The Criminal Justice System
- Identify models of health promotion
- Identify women’s health issues living in secure environments
- Describe nursing management and health promotion strategies associated with women’s health and wellness
- Identify the specialized needs of families with a family member in a forensic settings
- Describe nursing management strategies of communicable and infectious diseases, e.g., Hepatitis A, B, C, HIV/AIDS, TB
- Identify the prevalence of personality disorders within the forensic setting
- Describe nursing management strategies of personality disorders, e.g., borderline and anti-social personality disorders
Learning Activities
Students will acquire knowledge and skill and learn to apply concepts through a variety of means of instruction and activities, including: lecture, audio-visual aids, case studies, debate forums, critical thinking exercises and team work.
Means of Assessment
The course evaluation is consistent with Douglas College evaluation policy. An evaluation schedule is presented at the beginning of the course.
This is a graded course.
Learning Outcomes
UNIT 1: INTRODUCTION TO NURSING WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
- Identify the primary sources of law and types of legislation established by the Canadian Judicial System
- Identify basic facts associated with the Correctional Service of Canada as a part of the Criminal Justice System
- Discuss the scope of nursing practice within the Criminal Justice System in Canada.
- Identify the types of health care services provided within the context of federal and provincial Correctional Services of Canada.
- Identify the types of forensic health care services provided within the context of federal and provincial forensic psychiatric services.
UNIT 2: LEGAL AND ETHICAL ISSUES IN WORKING WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
- Identify key concepts within the Canadian legal system
- Differentiate civil law from criminal law and links to nursing practice in Canada
- Discuss legal concepts and issues in working with client groups across the criminal justice systems
- Discuss ethical concepts, issues, and ethical frameworks guiding nursing practice across the Criminal Justice Systems·
UNIT 3: THE ROLE OF THE NURSE WORKING WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
- Describe the scope of correctional and forensic nursing practice across the Criminal Justice Systems
- Identify professional issues in relation to conduct, professional boundaries, and therapeutic alliances
- Identify professional practice issues in relation to professional 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
UNIT 4: NURSING LEADERSHIP WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM
- Discuss concepts related to nursing leadership and management
- Identify interprofessional collaboration and membership roles and responsibilities
- Describe models of interpersonal communication
- Review the purpose of nursing documentation and legal requirements
- Apply models of conflict resolution to clinical situations
- Describe models of case management, e.g., assertive case management
- Discuss risk assessment and management tools including the forensic nurse’s role in risk assessment.
- Consider the limitation in actuarial risk assessment related to static risk factors, dynamic risks factor, and clinical impression.
- Describe community resources and services, e.g., role of probation services, John Howard and Elizabeth Fry societies
UNIT 5: THE SEXUAL ASSAULT NURSE EXAMINER (SANE) IN THE CONTEXT OF FORENSIC NURSING
- Examine the historical considerations that support the development of Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner program
- Identify the role of the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) and general components of the sexual assault exam, exam options, reporting options, sexual assault evidence kit (SAEK), preventative and treatment care (sexually transmitted infections (STI's), pregnancy and Hepatitis B, HIV/AIDS)
- Identify the nurse's role in case management and the interprofessional collaboration, roles and responsibilities in the treatment of sexual assault including the treatment and prevention of Rape Trauma Syndrome
- Describe the use of drugs in sexual assault and implication to SANE.
- Describe the care of the pediatric sexual assault patient
- Identify programs within your own community to meet the needs of adult and pediatric victims of sexual assault and analyze limitations or gaps in such services
- Describe the aetiology of Vicarious Trauma (VT) and Secondary Trauma Stress(STS)
- Discuss the potential risk for and prevention of VT and STS to nurses and forensic nurses and consider the need for self-care plans for prevention and resilience
UNIT 6: Promoting Health Across The Criminal Justice System
- Identify models of health promotion
- Identify women’s health issues living in secure environments
- Describe nursing management and health promotion strategies associated with women’s health and wellness
- Identify the specialized needs of families with a family member in a forensic settings
- Describe nursing management strategies of communicable and infectious diseases, e.g., Hepatitis A, B, C, HIV/AIDS, TB
- Identify the prevalence of personality disorders within the forensic setting
- Describe nursing management strategies of personality disorders, e.g., borderline and anti-social personality disorders
Textbook Materials
A list of required and optional textbooks and materials is provided for students at the beginning of each semester.