Mentally Disordered Offenders - Crime And Mental Disorder, The Mental Health And Criminal Justice Systems, The Future Treatment Of Disordered Offenders
This entry covers the relationship of mental disorder to crime, the overlap between the criminal justice and mental health systems, and the nature and operation of institutions and programs that deal with mentally disordered criminals.
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Crime is neither mental disorder nor necessarily evidence of such disorder. It is a misconception that all criminals are "sick," especially those who commit apparently senseless crimes or particularly serious crimes such as murder or rape. The concepts of crime and of mental disorder should be kept distinct. Crime is a violation of the criminal law, whereas mental disorder refers to …
Much deviant or rule-breaking conduct falls within the purview of both the mental health and criminal justice systems. An assault, for example, may be treated as a misdemeanor, a symptom of mental disorder, or both. Serious crime may raise similar issues. A person who kills on the basis of a delusion may be seen as a candidate for criminal justice processing, during which an insanity defense may b…
Concomitant with the proliferation during the nineteenth century of asylums to house the mentally disordered, there was an increasing perception that the so-called criminally insane were a distinct class with special needs that could best be met in separate institutions combining therapy with more secure custody for these allegedly dangerous persons. The result was the establishment of separate ho…
American Psychiatric Association. Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 4th ed. text revision. Washington, D.C.: American Psychiatric Association, 2000. …
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User Comments
over 2 years ago
Gad
Lexington Mississippi Sheriff Department is running citizens into the Grenada Life Help Mental Unit for anything from drug charges, fighting, to claims on houses. The Sheriff office will come into the homes and tell the citizens they have a court order which may turn out to be nothing at all (just a piece of paper) they will not show the paper or be wearing any I.D. They will take the people to the unit and there they are evaluated. Arguing is no reason to take a person to one of these hospitals but the chancery clerk office in Lexington is signing off on anything. Do not try to get a copy of the court order they will do anything to prevent that from happening. Lexington and its courts do not like people talking of getting a lawyer they do not like that they prefer the people to come to court and be tried in back rooms.