"THE DISTANT SHIPS OF LIBERTY": WHY CRIMINOLOGY NEEDS TO TAKE SERIOUSLY INTERNATIONAL HUMAN RIGHTS LAWS THAT APPLY TO PERSONS WITH DISABILITIES.

Persons institutionalized in forensic psychiatric facilities have been hidden from the public view for decades--physically, socially, and legally. This reality must be radically reconsidered in light of the ratification of the United Nations' Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities ("CRPD"), the first legally binding instrument devoted to the comprehensive protection of the rights of persons with disabilities. There has been, however, virtually no attention paid by criminologists to the potential impact of this Convention on forensic populations. In this paper, we will focus on a series of core issues--including the lack of attorneys and advocates who represent this population, the lack of scholarly interest in this matter, and the conditions common to many forensic facilities--all through the prism of therapeutic jurisprudence ("TJ"). Additionally, we will explore the reasons why this population is often left behind and why it is essential that criminologists begin to take this issue seriously. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]