Abstract
Because of the compelling role it plays as an enigma, mental illness has been featured in innumerable theaters of human history and our present-day society. There is perhaps no greater place for this dynamic than our criminal justice system. This analysis provides a thorough examination of how our modern approach to the management of mental illness evolved in accordance to the ways in which it began. The controversy over incarceration rates of the mentally ill are astronomical, in that nearly half of inmates in the United States are suffering with a mental illness of sorts (National Alliance for the Mentally Ill, n.d.a). Within is a discussion of whether these rates are appropriate; that is, whether there is a clear link between mental illness and criminal behavior that justifies that percentage. The main policy implication that has been suggested by medical professionals and scholars alike to combat these figures is multiple forms of medicinal and cognitive therapies, as well as stringent substance abuse treatments.
Recommended Citation
Barry, Kelley
(2022)
"A Scrutiny of Mental Illness in Criminality and the Assessment of Viable Alternatives,"
The Mid-Southern Journal of Criminal Justice: Vol. 21, Article 3.
Available at:
https://mds.marshall.edu/msjcj/vol21/iss1/3