The Psychological Situation For A Criminal

In the crime documentary of “Susan Smith – Child Killer”, the narrator stated that Susan Smith failed her lie detector test on the second day of the search for her supposedly kidnapped children. Any other typical mother whose children were missing would have been hysterical. She knew she killed her children and that they were buried under the lake where she drowned them. She did not seem to show any remorse while on TV talking to the kidnapper that does not exist. In a letter she penned from jail to The State newspaper, she wrote “the thing that hurts me the most is that people think I hurt my children in order to be with a man” (Sanchez). She continued in her letter that the only reason why she did not tell the truth about her killing her children was because she did not know how to

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.

Andrea and Rusty Yates were warned about continuing to have children. They were told it would not be a good situation for Andrea to become pregnant because her post partum depression would worsen and might include a worsened state of psychosis. The couple did not listen to the warnings of the doctors and they continue to have children. Andrea’s condition only worsened with each pregnancy as she still continued to go on and off her medications. Her mental state continued to deteriorate, to make matter worse for Andrea she experienced the loss of the father.

The incarceration of those who are mentally ill is on the continual rise. Many states juggle with the decision of placing offenders in Mental Hospital or locating them in State Prisons. Latessa and Holsinger (2011) discuss two major reasons for the increase of those with mental illness within the prison system. First, many states have no longer allow for the insanity plea during criminal trials, thus those who suffer from mental illness are not required to receive mandatory mental treatment. This is due to the discomforting idea that criminal offenders should not be given the same living conditions as those whom are patients of mental wards. Secondly, longer sentences have created a surplus of mentally ill offenders needing treatment. Soderstrom (2007) added that the lack of mental health support systems in

While most people are concerned and want violent offenders punished and thrown in prison (which is a valid concern), it is rare that violent acts are committed by the mentally ill. For those crimes the mentally ill commits, prison may not always be the right answer; instead, proper treatment and rehabilitation would be much better. In general, the statement has always been made that the

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

I believe so many are diagnosed with mental illness in the criminal justice system due to their repetitive actions of law breaking. In the beginning, these offenders are unaware a mental illness exists. So many offenders have pre-existing mental illnesses which are untreated; others may acquire a mental illness while incarcerated. This could be due to aging, or an occurrence which takes place in prison such as segregation. Separating humans from and isolating them from any population is

This essay will look at the public understanding of the nature of mental disorder and to what extent it is associated with dangerousness and violence. The essay will begin by exploring the public’s perspectives and opinions on the matter and the impact that the mentally ill have on crime rates. Specific social perspectives will also be explored..

Andrea Yates was a mother of five who lived in a Houston suburb. Andrea suffered from serve postpartum depression and psychosis which unfortunately lead her to drown all five of children in a bath tub one afternoon. Andrea was charged with capital murder and was given life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years. However, she filed an appeal, and her original sentence was overturned, and she was found in innocent in 2006 on reason of insanity. I’m going to explain her upbringing and her mental health influenced her to murdering her children.

The United States criminal justice system has been continuously increasing incarceration among individuals who suffer from a sever mental illness. As of 2007 individuals with severe mental illness were over twice as likely to be found in prisons than in society (National Commission of Correctional Health Care, 2002, as cited in Litschge &Vaughn, 2009). The offenses that lead to their commitment in a criminal facility, in the majority of cases, derive from symptoms of their mental illness instead of deviant behavior. Our criminal justice system is failing those who would benefit more from the care of a psychiatric rehabilitation facility or psychiatric hospital by placing them in correctional facilities or prisons.

A small group of people with mental illness (those with severe and untreated symptoms of schizophrenia with Psychosis, major depression or bi-polar mood disorder) may have an increased rate of violence. In this group, Individuals who are suffering from psychotic symptoms that cause them to feel threatened or manipulated by Outside forces have a greater tendency towards violent behaviour. In spite of this, with early assessment and Appropriate treatment, individuals with severe illness are no more dangerous than the general population. Community treatment programs have also been found to be helpful in the management of behaviours that lead to crime.

After suffering for years with severe postpartum depression and psychosis, Andrea Yates drowned her five children on June 20, 2001. The conviction of capital murder and sentence to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 40 years was later overturned on appeal. Andrea Yates suffered from unrecognized bipolar illness, and had been treated intermittently for diagnoses of depression, postpartum depression, and schizophrenia. Andrea’s disorders fall well within the guidelines and use of the Axis V tool according to The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) published by the American Psychiatric Association.

Yates never denied killing her children, she explained it as choosing the best option for them. She believe they were destine to burn in hell if they were to “stumble” after obtaining an age of self accountability. However, if they were to die prior to that age, they would live for eternity in Heaven. This explanation drew much criticism and lead most to believe that Yates was attempting to make up a story that would cause others to believe she was insane. Her candid testimony shocked the conscious of all. At one point she explained how she killed her children, “Noah, age 7, was most difficult to drown because he was the strongest. Noah managed to get his head above water and

This research paper discusses the issues of people who suffer from mental illness being placed in jails instead of receiving the necessary treatment they need. The number of inmates serving time in jail or prison who suffer from mental illness continues to rise. In 2015 the Bureau of Justice reported that sixty five percent of state prisoners and fourth five percent of federal prisoners suffered from mental conditions such as bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Individuals who suffer from these problems require special mental health treatment for their needs to be met. Many of our prisons and jails lack the necessary resources to care for these inmates and because of that inmates who do not receive the treatment they need are at a higher risk of becoming a repeat offender. Despite the research and findings that show that the criminal justice system is unable to deal with issues dealing with the mentally ill there has been limited solutions put in place. Given the challenges the criminal justice system faces it is important to address the problem and come up with better solutions. This research paper will discuss the various techniques and solutions that scholars have propped and their effect on the issue of mentally ill criminals and how the criminal justice system should approach the problem.

Living with a mental illness can be hard, but it is even harder if there isn’t any access to the proper treatment needed in order to get better. It could result with the person committing a crime and ending up behind bars. The severity of a mental illness the may have ranges. Many people who suffer from one can be a danger to themselves or to those around them. It is up to a mental health professional or an officer to ensure that they receive the help that they need. In order to do so, they should place those with a mental illness in a mental health facility.