Essay On Mental Illnesses Should Be Criminally Charged

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Many people question if people with mental illnesses should be criminally charged. The Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law says, “In most countries the options of incarceration and hospitalization are available in concert. In some, incarceration occurs before hospitalization. In others, hospitalization is first, followed by a prison term”. There are many different debates that go on. They should decide if a person should be criminally charged depending on the illness and followed by the concept “treatment years”. Treatment years is when the court decided how long the person needs to be in treatment for according to the severity of the crime. From my point of view these people should be criminally charged but depending the severity of the illness they should seek treatment. A person that is mentally ill should be treated like a person that is not mentally ill; equality, public safety, and the well being on the person being charged, should be considered. A mentally ill person should be imprisoned if they commit a felony because if they commit a crime once who says they can't commit it again? For the sake of Public Safety I do believe these people …show more content…

But a person with a mental illness has to be evaluated and sometimes not even trialed and let go. This is where equality and inequality plays a role. Equality, the state of being equal, especially in status, rights, and opportunities. Inequality, the lack of equality. If the defendant is severely mentally disabled and in need of treatment, he or she will be provided treatment, either in prison or in a mental health facility. Even with a mental illness they should be charged like anybody else would because they are human and should be held responsible for what they

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