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How Crimes Involving The Mentally Ill

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How Crimes Involving the Mentally Ill Are Handled
Introduction:
Crimes linked to a mental disorder are seen to be abnormal from the established norms in society. According to the National Alliance of Mental Illness, a mental illness is a condition that impacts a person 's thinking, feeling or mood and may affect their ability to relate to others and function on a daily basis.1 These variations often cause deviations from accepted behaviors. Behavior that is said to be not normal often ends up being linked to a crime. Rates of those with mental illnesses is 4-6 times higher in jails than it is in the general population.3 The most common mental illnesses involved with crime are bipolar disorders, major depression, and…show more content…
These are the most common mental illnesses because they alter the way people think, and causes them to act irrationally. These disorders cause people to act ways they would not normally act if they were not mentally ill. This is the reason that mentally ill people often find themselves in situations that could get them in trouble. http://journalistsresource.org/studies/government/criminal-justice/mentally-ill-offenders-u-s-criminal-justice-system#sthash.nZwRcpVj.dpuf -How are mentally ill people treated differently in the court system? When it comes to public safety, judges find it easier to just sentence mentally ill offenders to prison or jail. They see it as if the person is incarcerated there is at least a chance that they will receive medication. If the person is just released into the public it is unlikely that they will continuously take medication properly.9 Also when they are incarcerated and then released to the streets, they are not provided with little or no discharge plan. Judges do not have the connections with mental health service providers who know what kinds of treatment options are best for the mentally ill. In the court system no one really takes the time to connect them to treatment, specialized housing and other helpful services. Even if they were connected to some form of treatment it would also be beneficial if someone checked to
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