The relationship between mental illness and crimes has been a subject of discussion for a very long time. It has attracted the attention of professionals dealing with mental health, the criminal justice systems, correlational systems and the general public with each group trying to establish whether there is significant evidence to associate the two. A lot of research has been done, and there is still more research being done today to establish the factors that could be leading mentally challenged people to commit crimes. If the reasons behind their actions are well established, then it will be straightforward to develop structures that will help solve this problem. The greatest concern and the need to deal with this issue is based on the fact that people with mental disorders are a threat to themselves, close friends, their family members, and any other person they come across.
The concept of the association between mental illness and crimes needs to be addressed with at most sobriety with neither exaggeration nor lightness ( Andrew, 2014) . Some scholars and researchers argue that crimes, especially those involving a lot of violence, are linked to a psychosis which is a condition that most mentally ill people suffer. Other researchers' points out that most mentally ill people have a tendency to abuse drugs and other substances which accelerates their urge to involve in crimes. In their research, Harris, and Lurigo proposed that the use of narcotics largely contributes to violence for people who are mentally ill; perceived threats, unemployment, and past violence being among other factors that drive mentally ill people to commit crimes. Although most researchers agree with this argument, they insist that it is necessary to classify the level of aggression portrayed when committing these crimes. Looking at the reports on crimes and putting into consideration that drugs and substance abuse have been in no small extent associated to the pre-determinants of crimes, it would be wrong to conclude that mental illness is directly associated with crimes. However, since it is not possible to separate the rates of crimes committed by mentally ill people with their use of drugs, it is right to say that the relationship between mental illness and crimes is significant.
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Psychological symptoms can also be used to explain the violent and criminal behavior of people with mental challenges ( Feiger, 2018 ) . Research has been carried out on psychiatric patients, incarcerated offenders, newborn babies' cohorts and the general population. The body of researchers involved took a stand that psychological signs such as hallucinations, delusions, and treatment adherence and medication compliance are violence and crimes predictors among individuals with mental disorders. However, another researcher by the name Silver conducted a retrospective longitudinal study based on convicted prisoners on their account of mental disorder and disagreed with the above assertions.
In research involving 282 male patients affected with schizophrenia and other 261 male patients having affective disorders, Wuermle and Modestin found out that 34& of the schizophrenic males and 42% out of 261 males with affective disorders were found to have a criminal record. Also, about 52% which accounts for more than half of the total patients were found to have co-occurring substance abuse ( Hough, 2018 ) . They concluded that people who have schizophrenia and no comorbid substance abuse pose a higher risk of criminal violence than their counterparts with affective disorders who were found to be more likely to commit property offenses; this point out that the link between mental illness and psychopathology is menial.
Other factors that make mentally ill people engage in crimes are historical issues such as parental crime, parental violence and delinquency precedent to adulthood ( Motz, 2016) . It has been established that delinquency befortoe adulthood history is a significant factor in contributing to criminality and violence. Among the people with mental disorders, childhood delinquency, young age and early arrest at index offense remain to be the most robust predictors of violence and criminality among mentally challenged people. Researching on recidivism rates’ reasons among imprisoned offenders who were mentally ill, Frank concluded that parental crime is highly related to violence on self among patients discharged from hospitals having been psychotic and to violent recidivism amongst the offenders who were mentally challenged.
In conclusion, analyzing the association between mental illness and crimes, it is evident that the association is opaque. For the offenders who are mentally ill and have been labeled as being psychotic, the abuse of drugs and other harmful substances as well as hard drugs explains a lot the reasons for committing the crimes. For mentally challenged offenders who have continually suffered from hallucinations due to stress and violent acts, they would be viewed to be abnormal if they do not respond to these effects accordingly. The exceptions to these behaviors are very minimal since the reasons for getting involved in crimes appear to be binding on external forces that are beyond their control. The Canadian law has tried to address these issues with at most adequacy, but there is still a greater need to conduct further research to aid in proper, fair and just methods of handling such cases and also minimize their occurrence.
References
Andrews, D. A., & Bonta, J. (2014). The psychology of criminal conduct . Routledge.
Feiger, J. A. (2018). The Impact of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury, Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorders, and Neurocognitive Deficits on Violent Crime . California State University, Long Beach.
Hough, R. M. (2018). The Use of Force in Criminal Justice . Routledge.
Motz, A. (2016). The psychology of female violence: Crimes against the body . Routledge.
