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Mental illness and crime case study
Mental illness and crime case study
Mental illness and violent crimes uncomfortable truth
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Literature Analysis and Research Proposal of the Correlation between Mental Illness and Violence and Crime Over the past few decades, many researches have strived to test and explain the correlation between violence and crime and mental illness. Moore and Hiday (2006) assert that up 22% of inmates has a mental illness, sometimes containing more mental illness patients than many psychiatric units. Due to these statistics it is evident how important it is to understand the causes of the correlations between crime and violence and mental disorders. This proposal wishes to explain and understand the possible correlation and the reasons for such correlation between mental health illnesses and violence and crime. Further research to test these theories of crime and mental disorders will also be presented. Crime can be described combination between both behavior and mental factors. This will prove incredibly crucial in the definition of crime in relation to mental illness. Many of those that commit crimes are not convicted due to their illness so it is important to note, for the purpose of this analysis, that all illegal activity is considered crime, regardless of conviction (Monahan and Steadman 1983). It is evident that those with mental illnesses have an increased likelihood of committing crimes. It is important to note, however, that not all people with mental illnesses commit crimes or violent behavior so a cause is not evident. Substance abuse, a mental disorder, is also seen as a large risk in violent behavior (Silver 2006). Hiday (1995) asks the questions of the direction of this correlation. Does mental illness lead to violence or is it vice versa? THEORETICAL FRAMEWORKS Silver (2006) asserts the importance of using t... ... middle of paper ... ...s.” Law and Human Behavior 30(6):659-674. Powell, Thomas A., John C. Holt and Karen M. Fondacaro. 1997. “The Prevalence of Mental Illness among Inmates in a Rural State.” Law and Human Behavior 21(4):427-438. Robbins, Pamela Clark, John Monahan and Eric Silver. 2003. “Mental Disorder, Violence, and Gender.” Law and Human Behavior 27(6):561-571. Silver, Eric. 2006. “Understanding the Relationship between Mental Disorder and Violence: The Need for a Criminological Perspective.” Law and Human Behavior 30(6):685-706. Silver, Eric and Brent Teasdale. 2005. “Mental Disorder and Violence: An Examination of Stressful Life Events and Impaired Social Support.” Social Problems 52(1):62-78. Walsh, Zach and David S. Kosson. 2007. “Psychopathy and Violent Crime: A Prospective Study of the Influence of Socioeconomic Status and Ethnicity.” Law and Human Behavior 31(2):209-229.
Once upon a time, the theory that the majority of violent crimes was caused by biological reasons, was a trendy opinion. However James Gilligan a notable psychiatrist, who has been working with prisoners and prison systems for years to study and develop the general method to prevent crimes, sees this psychological perspective, and comes out with a different conclusion. In the article “Shame: The Emotions and Morality of Violence,” Gilligan emphasizes that shame is the reason why most people commit crimes, and they tend to “diminish the intensity of shame” by violence.(44) He explains the concept of preconditions, which are key elements for violence to happen, to discuss the origins of violent crimes. Gilligan suggests that violent men are “shameful to feel ashamed about themselves.”(43) They also believe that they have no
Hare, R. and Schalling, D. Psychopathic Behaviour: Approaches to Research. New York: John Wiley and Sons. 1978.
Their symptoms are directly related to specific threats of extreme violence. Victims gave examples which included nightmares of assaults that occurred while incarcerated and panic attacks in response to police sirens. In sixteen cases, other psychiatric disorders were evident. Ten of them suffered from a type of depressive disorder, five had features of a panic disorder, four had symptoms of paranoia, and three had acquired a dependence on drugs and/or alcohol. In addition, chronic sleeping problems, moodiness, and irritability were increased in all cases.
Lewis, John. "Mental Illness and the Criminal Justice System."Pathways2promise.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 07 May 2014.
Welton, Nathan. “Mentally Ill Are More Likely To Be The Victims Of Violence.” The Tribune [California] 19 Mar. 2006: n. pag. NewsBank Special Reports. Web. 7 Apr. 2014.
They suggested that not only mental illness but other factors such as social relationships, firearm access during emotional moments etc also lead to gun violence. However, they failed to cite this with strong facts, numbers etc. Reports suggest that up to 60% of executioners of mass shootings in the United States since 1970 displayed symptoms including acute paranoia, delusions, and depression before committing their crimes[4,5]. In another article “Rates of Household Firearm Ownership and Homicide Across US Regions and States, 1988–1997”[6], the authors emphasized on the “association between rates of household firearm ownership and homicide across the United States, by age group”. In this analysis, they failed to take gender, mental health and other factors into consideration which helps more to analyze that which type of people (mentally ill) and/ or which gender are doing these cruel
Jurik, Nancy C. and Russ Winn. 1990. “Gender and Homicide: A comparison of Men and
Markowitz, F. E. (2011). Mental illness, crime, and violence: Risk, context, and social control. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 36-44.
... Social Policy, and Violence, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 70, No. 5, 1996.
Walters G (2012). Psychopathy and Crime: Testing the Incremental Validity of PCL-R-Measured Psychopathy as a Predictor of General and Violent Recidivism. Law and Human Behavior.36(5), 404-412.
The stereotype that goes hand in hand with mental illness that though seems to have improved over the years is still pervasive. Teplin, Abram & McClelland (1994) state that people in general, believe that people with mental illness are more likely to commit violent crime with those without mental illness. In their study they seek to find evidence to that statement – to learn if having a mental illness increases the likeliness of violent crime and recidivism after release from prison. This author seeks to discover the same using similar data to learn if there is a connection between violent crime and mental illness.
Mental health and the criminal justice system have long been intertwined. Analyzing and understanding the links between these two subjects demands for a person to go in to depth in the fields of criminology, sociology, psychology, and psychiatry, because there are many points of view on whether or not a person’s criminal behavior is due to their mental health. Some believe that an unstable mental state of mind can highly influence a person’s decision of committing criminal actions. Others believe that mental health and crime are not related and that linking them together is a form of discrimination because it insinuates that those in our society that suffer from poor mental health are most likely to become a criminal due to their misunderstood behavior not being considered a normality in society. In this report I will go into detail of what mental health and mental illness is, what the differentiates a normal and a mentally unstable criminal, give examples of criminal cases where the defendant’s state of mind was brought up, introduce theories surrounding why one would commit crimes due to their mental health, and lastly I will discuss how the criminal justice system has been modified to accommodate mental health issues.
Mental disorders and Criminal Behavior is a chapter that talks about people who live with different medical conditions, and how those mentally
Understanding Psychology and Crime: Perspectives on Theory and Action, New York. PENNINGTON, D. (2002), Introducing Psychology: Approaches, Topics and Methods, London, Hodder Arnold. TANNENBAUN, B, (2007),Profs link criminal behaviour to genetics [online], Available at: http://thedp.com/index.php/article/2007/11/profs_link_criminal_behavior_to_genetics [accessed 16th October 2011].
Not all criminals have mental disorders, and not all people with mental disorders commit crimes. There are many reasons why “normal” people may commit crimes. Poverty is one reason. Desperate families may resort to stealing to obtain food and clothing. Addiction is another reason. Drug addicts may steal, commit violent crimes, or make drugs themselves in order to get their fix. Peer pressure may also lead to crime. It is common for gangs to initiate their members by forcing them to complete some illegal act. Adolescents are also very susceptible to peer pressure and may break the rules in order to look “cool” and fit in. Greed is another reason for crime. “Normal”, successful people embezzle money all the time. These people likely aren’t starving or affected by a mental condition. They simply want more than they have, and break the law to get it.