The Criminal Justice System: The History Of The Criminal Justice System

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Introduction
Due to the nature of the criminal justice system, the history of the treatment of those with mentally disorders and the history of the criminal justice system have been intimately intertwined. Both the criminal justice system and treating mentally ill individuals can be traced back to the beginning of human existence. Over the ages both systems have evolved and expanded with the changes within society. In some ways the criminal justice system has become more tolerant of those with mental illness, while in other aspect the criminal justice system has become less tolerant of those with mental disorders. Now more than ever the criminal justice system interacts with mentally ill individuals.
Before Written History
It is believed that
In order to expel the evil spirits from the mind of the sufferer holes would be cut in to their skulls. Evidence suggests that while many time this primitive form of neurosurgery resulted in death, it was also performed successfully. Fossils have even been found with multiple holes in their skulls in various stages of healing (Pressman, 2001). In other areas, such as Mesopotamia evidence of ancient rituals believed to expel the evil spirits from the body of the sufferer has been found (Abdul-Hamid and Stein,
Although church Dogma still dictated over society, scientist began to turn for supernatural causes such as possession and evil spirits to more scientific causes. Hippocrates, who as known as the father of modern medicine, recognize that the brain was the organ that interpreted sensory information from the world and that disease was not only in the body but also in the mind. He also believed that illnesses including mental illnesses were caused by imbalance within the body. In order to treat these illnesses balanced must be restored. One form of treatment thought to restore balance was bloodletting. Bloodletting was assumed to help, in patients that did not die because of the procedure and these practices continued for many years (Breitendfeld, Jurasic, Breitenfeld, 2014).
While scientific curiosity was high during this time period crime and punishment remained similar to the system that was set in to place during biblical time. The "eye for an eye, tooth for a tooth" mentality continued. Despite this both Plato and Aristotle recognized that some individuals should not be held responsible for the crimes that they had committed. Aristotle believed that a crime committed with hatred was worse and therefore should be punished more severely than a crime that was committed unintentionally. These ideas still

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