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Zoe Knowles
Dr. Guenzel
ENC 1102
March 16, 2015
Research Dossier: Mental Illness in Criminal Justice
Dossier Introduction:
The topic I decided to research is mental illness in the criminal justice
system. My major is criminal justice so this topic is interesting to me but the reason
why I specifically chose mental illness as a subcategory is because of the prevalence
of it in the world today. Everyday there are hundreds of cases on trial and the most
common factor among them all is some kind of mental illness playing a part in the
case. The main subject of this paper is to determine how it is used. Is it used as an
excuse or a scapegoat? Or is it used as a reliable explanation for the actions
criminals make? This is a delicate topic that has been questioned but not very
publicly researched. I say publicly because there are hundreds of journals discussing
the relationship between the two but unless you are specifically researching it, you
are rarely going to find this topic in the newspaper. The reason being is because
mental illness is a sensitive subject and, more then that, it is empathized with the
public. Everywhere restaurants, stores, theme parks, etc. are accommodating
anyone challenged. Also, any story that is published always paints the “special”
person as the hero because although they are hindered mentally, they beat the odds.
With all of that said, mental illness is sympathized with and well-known news
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outlets do not want to paint them as the villain because they will then get backlash.
So there is a certain amount of compassion given to the mentally ill and I believe my
research can shed some light on the topic.
Up to this point in my research it has come apparent how prominent mental
health is. Having more information of the topic is always helpful and the general
public can definitely benefit from this research. This is because any type of disorder,
disability, or any kind of mental or physical hindrance can be put under this big
umbrella known as mental health. So anything from a common anxiety disorder to
dementia is used as a reason by the law. However, any type of crime in the media, it
is very one sided. Whatever the most apparent or obvious answer is the solution the
media goes with. Specifically people in criminal justice like lawyers, prosecutors,
defenders, police officers, judges etc. can all benefit from reading the research I will
provide. It will offer a different viewpoint to people in or out of the field.
So as you can see this topic is controversial and you can argue many different
perspectives. Through my sources I have been able to come to a solid foundation of
the general view of mental health in the criminal justice system and how popular it
is. I have learned that there are currently more people with mental illness behind
bars than there are in mental hospitals. The numbers have increased substantially
over the last few decades due to the increasing popularity and, as a result,
acceptance. In my paper I hope to uncover the role mental health plays in criminal
justice.
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Research Map:
Research Question/Thesis: According to the Huffington Post, only 5-7% of all
mentally ill persons commit a serious criminal act. This creates a stigma for anyone
having a mental problem but also has proven to give criminals an excuse even
though they might not be suffering from any mental condition. With that said, I find
it imperative to research just how mental illness plays a role in crime.
Field Research / Internet / Library: A little more then half of the sources used are
journals and scholarly articles. The other forty percent are internet articles that are
used as the public’s opinion.
Key words: Criminal justice, mental illness, mental health, advantages,
disadvantages, disorders, psychology, cases, public, stigma.
Timetable:
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Annotated Bibliography:
1. Vogel, Matt, Katherine D. Stephens, and Darby Siebels. "Mental Illness And The
Criminal Justice System." Sociology Compass 6 (2014): 627. Academic OneFile. Web.
15 Mar. 2015.
It identifies how and why mentally ill persons have come to be overrepresented in
the criminal justice system and highlight the unique challenges this population
poses for police, courts, and correctional facilities. Finally, we review several recent
innovations in policy and practice that may help alleviate that burden of criminal
justice involvement on mentally ill offenders, as well as the burden of mentally ill
offenders on the criminal justice system.
2. Robertson, Allison G., et al. "Treatment Participation And Medication Adherence:
Effects On Criminal Justice Costs Of Persons With Mental Illness." Psychiatric
Services 65.10 (2014): 1189-1191. PsycINFO. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.
This journal goes into specific cases of adults with schizophrenia or bipolar
disorder. It documents patients who went through psychiatric hospitalization but
are now out of their care. They analyze their behavior and their criminal record
after hospitalization.
3. Matejkowski, Jason, Sungkyu Lee, and Woojae Han. "The Association Between
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Criminal History And Mental Health Service Use Among People With Serious Mental
Illness." Psychiatric Quarterly 85.1 (2014): 9-24. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15
Mar. 2015.
This study examines data obtained from National Comorbidity Survey Replication
and shows the extent to which a criminal history is associated with the use of
various mental health services as well as related service use predictors among
people with serious mental illness.
4. Peterson, Jillian K., et al. "How Often And How Consistently Do Symptoms Directly
Precede Criminal Behavior Among Offenders With Mental Illness?." Law & Human
Behavior (American Psychological Association) 38.5 (2014): 439-449. Business
Source Premier. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.
This text says that offenders with mental illness are “overrepresented in the
criminal justice system.” In this study of 143 offenders with mental illness, we use
data from intensive interviews and record reviews to examine how often and how
consistently symptoms lead directly to criminal behavior.
5. Gross, Nicole R.1, and Robert D.1, robert.morgan@ttu.edu Morgan.
"Understanding Persons With Mental Illness Who Are And Are Not Criminal Justice
Involved: A Comparison Of Criminal Thinking And Psychiatric Symptoms." Law &
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Human Behavior (American Psychological Association) 37.3 (2013): 175-186. Index
to Legal Periodicals & Books Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. 16 Mar. 2015.
Research has begun to elucidate that persons with mental illness become involved
in the criminal justice system as a result of criminality and not merely because of
their mental illness. This study aims to clarify the similarities and differences in
criminal thinking and psychiatric symptomatology between persons with mental
illness who are and are not criminal justice involved.
6. Wilson, Amy Blank, et al. "Criminal Thinking Styles Among People With Serious
Mental Illness In Jail." Law And Human Behavior 38.6 (2014): 592-601.
PsycARTICLES. Web. 15 Mar. 2015.
The purpose of this study was to extend the investigation of criminal thinking of
persons with mental illness beyond prison and community settings to a jail setting.
Participants consisted of 122 individuals incarcerated in a county jail who were
diagnosed with a severe mental illness, including schizophrenia spectrum and major
mood disorders.