1 Mental Illness and Criminal Justice Celia Gaye CJ4990: Criminal Justice Capstone Capella University July 25, 2021 2 Mental Illness and Criminal Justice The relationship between mental illness and criminal justice has been debated widely over the years. The usual belief is that people living with mental illnesses are more prone to violent activists than the rest of the population. Studies have indicated that a significant rate of psychopathology among homicide offenders is because of their emotional dysregulation, which pushes them to easily commit a crime (Tully, 2017). As a result, most governments have developed constitutional guidelines on how both the law enforcers and the general public should handle people living with mental illness. At the same time, there has been little attention given to people living with mental illness. Today, most prisons in America are flocked with people living with mental illness for serial killing-related crimes, some of which have been convicted for life imprisonment without self-defense legal representation (Markowitz, 2020). Therefore, this paper articulates a review of the relationship between mental illness and criminal justice and why this topic should be a stepping stone in influencing new programs and policies in criminal law. Moving mental health and substance use individuals from prisons and jails toward community-based mental health care facilities is an essential aspect of the state and local initiatives. This is a crucial step in ensuring unnecessary involvement in criminal justice and juvenile systems is controlled. According to Ghiasi et al. (2021), mental health individuals are often arrested and sentenced to prison for petty crimes as a preventive law and order initiative. The police and general public don't understand that some mental health conditions can significantly affect a person's behavior. Further, without adequate treatment ad care, mental health individuals may be more prone to violence than usual. The following are crucial strategies that lawmakers might consider in dealing with jail involvement by mental health victims. 3 Goals and objectives Firstly, individuals with severe mental health conditions from the criminal justice system should be transferred to reduce involvement's health and financial costs. This means developing community-based services for those in need and engaging all parties, especially the law enforcers. The benefits could include a comprehensive understanding of different mental health conditions, treatment options, and de-escalation strategies available in the community. It is crucial to note that children and youth in juvenile facilities are exposed to trauma and mental health conditions that are ignored. This leads to the worsening of mental health and unending involvement in the criminal justice department. Initiatives should support those in serious need of services and promote fairness throughout the criminal justice unit. For schooling children, prebooking diversion that supports their learning and community participation is key (Mental Health America, 2021). Children should not be imprisoned, especially as a means of meeting their mental health needs. Efficient diversion involves facilitating voluntary engagement and minimizing coercive practices that may lead to incarceration, as witnessed in mental health courts. Secondly, adults and youth in criminal justice systems must be granted access to mental health services. Further, institutions should avail mental health information, treatment options, and unlimited access to mental health practitioners. They should also recognize that people have the right to reject treatment and be freed from dangerous practices with damaging effects, especially for persons living with mental health problems. Targeted focus Unfair conditions and punishments should be abolished. Mental health individuals often face discrimination in every involvement stage within the juvenile and criminal justice sectors. 4 Further, many practices in the criminal justice and juvenile departments can harm an individual. To ensure the judicial system serves justice for all, individuals with mental health conditions must be considered in each involvement stage and how the legal practices served to affect their illnesses. Mental health leaders, public defenders, law enforcement agents, legislators, court personnel, and other officials in the criminal justice department should unite and develop a system that promotes outcomes for all people. 5 References Ghiasi, N., Azhar, Y., & Singh, J. (2020). Psychiatric illness and criminality. StatPearls [Internet]. Markowitz, F. (2020). Mental Illness, crime, and violence: Risk, context, and social control. Aggression and Violent Behavior. 16. 36-44. 10.1016/j.avb.2010.10.003. Mental Health America. (2021). Mental Health and Criminal Justice Issues. Mental Health America. Retrieved 24 July 2021, from https://www.mhanational.org/issues/mentalhealth-and-criminal-justice-issues. Tully, T. (2017). The Relationship between Mental Illness and Criminality: A Review. ACJS Today, 43(5), 6-10.. 1 Antecedents and Consequences of Crime Celia Gaye CJ4990: Criminal Justice Capstone Capella University July 31st, 2021 2 Antecedents and Consequences of Crime According to Schug & Fradella, (2015), it is projected that over 50% of the total incarcerated individuals suffer from a particular type of diagnosable mental disorder. At the same time, Hulathduwa, (2017) asserts that 15% of state prisoners and 24% of jail inmates meet the criteria for psychotic disorders. Such statistics prove that there is a correlation between mental illness and crime, an aspect that has been widely documented. In most cases, individuals with poor mental health are likely to be involved with crime, primarily acting as the offender with the victim role being the minor instance. Based on research that was conducted by Gottfried & Christopher, (2017), most offenders who were defined by mental illness, rarely displayed crime patterns that echoed or related to the given mental illness symptoms over their lifetime. However, when breaking down the most prominent mental illnesses that were likely to cause violence and crime, out of 429 crimes to be analyzed that were committed by 143 offenders, it is crucial to note that 3 percent of the given crimes were related to major depression, 4 percent associated with schizophrenia disorders, while bipolar disorder accounted for 10% (Gottfried & Christopher, 2017). Across America, more than 1.2 million individuals who have been identified with mental illnesses are incarcerated (Hulathduwa, 2017). Furthermore, the federal bureau of Justice Statistics asserts that individuals with mental are more likely to be on parole or probation two to four times more when contrasted against the general population. Antecedents of Crime One of the most notable cases revolving around criminals with mental health issues is that of David Berkowitz, also known as the “Son of Sam.” Berkowitz was arrested in 1970, after he murdered over six people, and asserted in the court that his neighbor’s dog had instructed him to conduct the murders. After diagnosis, the “Son of Sam” was identified to be suffering from 3 Paranoid Schizophrenia, which had caused him to execute the given murders (Schug & Fradella, 2015). Similar cases of individuals suffering from schizophrenia include that of Richard Chase, nicknamed the “Vampire of Sacramento,” who killed six individuals in California and drank their blood, as well as James Eagan Holmes, who perpetrated the 2012 “Batman Murders” in Aurora (Schug & Fradella, 2015). Besides schizophrenia, borderline personality disorder, as well as an antisocial personality disorder, are two mental conditions that have nurtured the manifestation of numerous individuals, thanks to the impulsive behaviors and intense mood swings that define the victims suffering from the given conditions. Aileen Wuornos is a prominent woman who confessed to killing seven individuals in cold blood within Florida (Schug & Fradella, 2015). After she was diagnosed, the doctors identified her to be suffering from an antisocial personality disorder. Jeffrey Dahmer, on the other hand, popularly referred to as “Milwaukee Cannibal,” executed seventeen boys between 1978 and 1991 (Schug & Fradella, 2015). It was after he was arrested that the doctors diagnosed him to suffer from borderline personality disorders, coupled with the fact that he was a heavy alcohol abuser. Other notable mentions are John Wayne Gacy, “killer clown,” and Ted Bunny, who were responsible for executing over 30 murders, with the former raping and killing 33 boys and young men in the 1979s, while the latter was a necrophile and killer that confessed to committing 30 murders in the 1970s (Schug & Fradella, 2015). It is trivial to note that there is a dire need for urgent intervention, as the numbers of mentally ill criminals keep on growing by the day. What is sadder is that more offenders with mental illness rarely receive treatment during their incarceration period. The treatment received during American-based trial only stretches for 60 days, meaning that the patient is not fully healed (Hulathduwa, 2017). What this means is that offenders with mental illness are rarely 4 rehabilitated after being incarcerated but instead proceed to become a greater threat to society at large once they are set free and leave prison. Consequences of Crime With most of the mentally ill individuals being prone to commit more aggressive forms of crime, it is sad to note that the victims often end up being greatly hurt in the emotional, financial, and physical contexts, with the impact stretching its impact to involve the families and friends of the victims. Besides this, communities that dwell in neighborhoods with high crime rates also tend to be adversely affected. People tend to be frightened both in and out of their homesteads, with business ventures completely avoiding the given neighborhoods as a result of repeated theft cases and poor purchasing power of the customers. It is also crucial to note that with most mentally ill individuals being easy to manipulate or convince, the given individuals are likely to be initiated into gangs and under the influence of the leaders used to perpetrate even worse crimes than before. In conclusion, there is a dire need to address mental health, as it is a pathway that, if left unchecked, leads to the manifestation of violence and killings in the community. Additionally, there is a need for researchers to conduct a more in-depth analysis on the association between other mental disorders (besides psychotic disorders) and criminality. With most mental illness complications containing an aspect of “gross disparity between behavior and prevailing social norms,” it is thus clear that there is a need to act fast and regulate the conditions instead of turning a blind eye and nurturing the manifestation of repeated acts of violence and cruelty. Safety starts with us, and society a large should actively campaign for mental health as a means to fight for the victims and disadvantaged individuals in society. 5 References Gottfried, E. D., & Christopher, S. C. (2017). Mental disorders among criminal offenders: a review of the literature. Journal of correctional health care, 23(3), 336-346. Hulathduwa, S. R. (2017). Crime and mental disorder: a literature review. Sri Lanka Journal of Forensic Medicine, Science & Law, 8(1). Schug, R. A., & Fradella, H. F. (2015). Mental illness and crime. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 
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