Forensic Mental Health Case Study

Mental Illness has been prevalent all throughout our history from Isaac Newton to Abraham Lincoln to Sylvia Plath and so on. These illnesses can be as minor as a slight bipolar disorder or as severe as schizophrenia. In recent years, mental illnesses are becoming more prevalent in our criminal justice systems than anywhere else. Mental illness is becoming an association with crime and based on the information that has been found, this paper will attempt to further define the problem of mental illness within our criminal justice system and offer alternatives or insights as to how to possibly help with this problem.

How must it be to live in a criminal mind? How must it be to completely loose the sense of normality? I heartily believe that Forensic Psychology holds the key which opens an entire world of psychopathologies, mental deformities, twisted thoughts and repressed needs of bestiality. Besides letting you sink into the most dangerous minds, it gives you the armament to combat everything hiding in there- knowledge.

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

The Insanity defense is mentioned as confusing to the psychiatric and legal concept. Furthermore, it is explained that the word “insane” is more of a legal word, then a medical term, and therefor to prove a person or a criminal insane, one must find the mental condition, of a criminal, severely impaired to the point of losing one’s free will. A psychiatrist may be or may not able to determine such illness, and a jury’s decision solely based on a psychiatrists’ opinion may be grounded on unreliable evidence. Retrieved from; West's Encyclopedia of American Law, edition 2 (2008).

In most cases, the Actus Reus, meaning a “guilty act” would be present, however may vary for the case for the Mens Rea element, meaning a “guilty mind”. Without either of these two elements, the defendant is not guilty, which can apply in the cases for Not Criminally Responsible offenders. When understanding the mind of an NCR offender, it is critical to grasp the Mens Rea within the crime because if a mental illness had prevented for the “guilty mind” to be present during the time of the crime, should it really be the mentally ill offender’s fault? Under Section 16 of the Criminal Code of Canada, an individual can only be considered as an NCR offender if either the mental disorder made it impossible for the offender to understand the morality of their actions and/or the offender could not understand the nature or quality of their actions (Legal Aid Ontario, n.d.). A judge can establish an NCR assessment whenever the defendant pleads guilty, however, this may vary from case to case (Legal Aid Ontario, n.d.). The NCR assessment is taken into account when proving the credibility of the mentally ill offender and whether or not their actions were intentionally towards a person when committing the crime (Mental Health Commission of Canada, 2013). Therefore, to be considered a NCR offender itself is a difficult argument to prove in court. In addition, the offences that a mentally disordered civilian has been presumed to commit must be proven to the court with the Mens Rea element present. According to a study by the Mental Health Commission of Canada (2013), most NCRMD individuals who have been accused of one of the violent offenses such as homicide, attempted murder, and sexual offences, have been diagnosed in the psychosis spectrum, being 37.8%, while 68.9% (113 individuals studied) had psychosis issues. About 21% have personality disorders, 23.6% with

Forensic mental health workers are those professionals that engage with individuals suffering from mental illnesses or disabilities that have been charged with a crime or some form of offence (Fact Sheet, 2012; Queensland Health Dept. 2012). Across all of the professions that might fall under this umbrella, including social workers, the primary goals that are both ethically and legally defined for forensic mental health workers are to design and adhere to a treatment plan that will help the individual become well and become as self-sufficient a member of society as possible (Mental Health Act, 2000; Fact Sheet, 2012). As this broad definition of forensic mental health work and forensic mental health workers implies, such professionals can be found in a broad array of different positions in the community, and there are many contexts within which social workers might become engaged in forensic mental health work and thus fall under the jurisdiction of legislation pertaining to the prevision of general mental health services (Guide, 2000; Mental Health Act, 2000). A brief understanding of some of these contexts and the relevant legislation is provided herein.

In this research bulletin commissioned by the Criminology Research Council, Ogloff et al. review the level of screening and the instruments used across jurisdictions to assess mental illness in justice agencies. Ogloff et al. intend to highlight the need and argue for a nationwide system of screening of all accused offenders taken into police custody, in order to identify those who require a comprehensive mental health assessment. The authors based their research on interviews and the examination of

facility that will help her with her mental issues. The involvement of psychologists was requested by the judge to determine her mental state and any mental disorders so they would know the best way to prosecute Kristen. This was to ensure that she received a fair trial and determined that she was able to understand the charges against her and help her attorney in her own defense, and help her to receive an appropriate sentence (Bartol & Bartol, 2014). This allowed the victims, public, prosecution and her defense to understand why she killed and behaved the way she did. Otherwise, it could have been deemed an unfair trial and given her a reason to appeal. A forensic psychologist will be used to determine if the defendant has the ability

Overall, the three articles discussed in this annotated bibliography provide direction for social workers and researchers who are looking to employ a holistic and client-centered approach to working with forensic populations. Forensic populations are often affected by multiple biopsychosocial systems such as: mental illness, substance use disorders, deviant sexual thoughts and behaviors, and criminal behavior. Although the biopsychosocial systems which affect forensic populations are often intersecting and inter-related, it can become necessary to individuate and control for these systems within research in order to better ascertain the efficacy of a desired treatment model. Given that I have interest in working with forensic populations

1). Forensic Psychology is the application of the theories of psychology to law and the legal system. Issues of violence and its impact on individuals and/or groups delineate the main and central concerns in Forensics within the adult, juvenile, civil, and family domains. Forensic psychologists provide advice to legislators, judges, correctional officers, lawyers, and the police. They are called upon, for example, to serve as an expert witness, diagnose and treat incarcerated and probationed offenders, and screen and evaluate personnel in the law enforcement and judicial systems. Forensics encompasses a wide range of academic orientation. Synonyms for Forensic psychologists include criminal psychologist,

(2010). Forensic mental health: Concepts, systems, and practice. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Matthews, D., Elwyn, T. S., Tseng, & Wen-Shing. (2005).

Psychology has always had a direct impact on my life for many years for example, I myself have had counselling sessions for anxiety. Experiencing this has given me a desire to work with people in understanding their behaviour and how their minds work to be able to empower individuals to lead better lives. My own personal experience with anxiety has also intrigued me into thinking why I think the way I do and what can be put into action to improve my circumstances.

Offenders often do not receive the treatment and support that they need that can result in severe iterations of their mental conditions (Public Services Foundation of Canada, 2015). With that being said, correctional institutions should promptly conduct individualized assessments in order to understand the specialized needs of a mentally ill offender. Determining risk factors, conducting mental health screenings, and identifying an offender’s mental health symptoms in a timely manner is crucial in regards to successful rehabilitation. Correctional officers are able to handle inmates in a way that is sensitive to their condition, and prevents escalated incidents. Furthermore, it ensures that a treatment plan that can be implemented throughout an offender’s sentence will be

As field, psychology was born of ancient philosophy and philosophers, and began to take root and grow in the 19th century (Candalis &Neal, 2014, p. 20). Psychologists started working with, and within, the courts in the early 1900’s (DeMatteo, Krauss, Marczyk & Burl, 2009, p. 185), however, the first big strides for forensic psychology were not made until 1954,

Each student will write a paper focused on a related topic regarding current trends in Forensic Social Work.