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Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons

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Legal Studies

Criminal justice

University of Georgia School of Law

Publication Year

Articles 1 - 2 of 2

Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Schoolhouse Rap, Andrea L. Dennis Jan 2022

Schoolhouse Rap, Andrea L. Dennis

Scholarly Works

Rap on Trial, the treatment of rap music as evidence in the American criminal legal process, is well-documented and increasingly scrutinised. Research has shown that – with little restraint – police, prosecutors, probation officers and judges use rap lyrics to investigate, prosecute and punish individuals. Less noticed is that a similar phenomenon is occurring in the American K–12 educational system, which disciplines school-age youth who participate in rap culture and sometimes refers them to the juvenile or criminal legal systems for additional punishment. This article describes and analyses a small set of identified cases of this scenario, demonstrating that rap …


Systemic, Racial Justice-Informed Solutions To Shift "Care" From The Criminal Legal System To The Mental Health Care System, Sarah Vinson, Andrea L. Dennis Jan 2021

Systemic, Racial Justice-Informed Solutions To Shift "Care" From The Criminal Legal System To The Mental Health Care System, Sarah Vinson, Andrea L. Dennis

Scholarly Works

The current configuration and function of U.S. societal structures drives the overrepresentation of people with serious mental illness in the criminal legal system. Although the causes are multifactorial, the mental health system poorly serves those at highest risk of criminal legal system involvement. The growth of the mental health evidence base regarding the social determinants of mental health has ushered in greater understanding of their central role in the promotion and maintenance of mental illness and health. These academic strides, however, have failed to translate into widespread care and payment policy changes. Additionally, as is the case in the criminal …