Melamed answers questions regarding mentally ill individuals that have committed crimes. There has recently been an increase in patients’ rights, which has caused stress throughout different communities. The public is concerned with safety and finds it difficult to accept that mentally ill individuals who commits a crime can simply just be hospitalized and discharged. This source mentions that forensic services are determined by the country and can differ. For example, in Greece, Italy and Portugal it may be handled by the Justice Department. Whereas in Germany and England, forensic services are determined by the Health Department. Melamed describes the different approaches when determining what to do with individuals that have committed crimes,
When it comes to forensic mental health service provision, one of the most essential elements to understand from a legal perspective is what is actually allowable by law in terms of involuntary care provision (Guide, 2000; Mental Health Act, 2000). While social workers
In 1929 the Uniform Crime was created by the International Association of Chiefs of Police. Yet, in the year of 1930, the Federal Bureau of Investigations became in charge of finalizing information collected for the crime reports. The Uniform Crime Report is an official data on crime that occurs throughout the United States. Once all information is reported from different police department, the Federal Bureau of Investigations breaks down all the collected data into charts. The Uniform Crime Report is statistical information gathered from different police agencies throughout the United States.
1) The theme in which the textbook builds upon is the needs of both individual and public order. Balancing both the rights by evenly distributing people rights with the use of public order from criminal justice. 2) Justice is fairness and having moral righteousness. The chapter discusses justice, social justice civil justice, criminal justice and, administration of justice. Criminal justice like social justice both seek to maintain an upright position between right and wrong.
In chapters six through ten of The Collapse of American Criminal Justice, Stuntz talks about the changes that were being made in the criminal justice system, and the changes that can help fix the system. He goes in details when it comes changes in the system, from the courts putting limits on what the criminal procedure, for example, the “exclusionary rule”. Also the mention of the rise and fall of crime across the United States. Lastly, mentioning the famous landmark cases that helped sparked these changes.
Given the number of incarcerated inmates who suffer from some form of mental illness, there are growing concerns and questions in the medical field about treatment of the mentally ill in the prison system. When a person with a mental illness commits a crime or break the law, they are immediately taken to jail or sent off to prison instead of being evaluated and placed in a hospital or other mental health facility. “I have always wondered if the number of mentally ill inmates increased since deinstitutionalization” Since prison main focus is on the crimes inmates are incarcerated; the actual treatment needed for the mentally ill is secondary. Mentally ill prisoners on the surface may appear to be just difficult inmates depending on the
In the final scene when Louis Levy speaks of the capacity of love I feel he is saying that we as humans have this natural need for an emotional attachment in order to feel complete as a person. Everyone on this earth is looking for love and acceptance and this starts from birth. A baby requires love, attention, physical touch and maternal nurturing along with biological needs in order to survive. This is carried on throughout out a person’s life. If one can look back as far as possible into their childhood they will come to find that love from another being is essential to growth because this will be the basis of what kind of adult you will grow
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
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.
Crime may simply be referred to as an offense against the state or against morality and is punishable by law, while justice is the fairness practiced during judgment of cases usually in instances where crime has taken place. Crime and justice go hand in hand as commonly evident in a case whereby a criminal is apprehended and taken to a court of law, then a ruling of justice practiced on the case and fairness used in passing of judgments. In most governments globally, crime and justice is managed by a criminal and justice department and typically, various departments are involved. These departments may primarily include; the police, the prosecution department, the law department, the correctional
Regardless of the severity of the accusation, courts make important consideration of the mental health of the client during the sentencing period. It involves non-custodian sanction, intensive support and supervision orders. Forensic Mental Health enhances access to services, improves the quality of care to the victims and facilitates transitions between systems (Springer, 2007). This initiative is achievable by the police departments that make formal and informal referral partnerships with the community health practitioners that issue details of the mental illness in different people. The correctional facilities enhance the transfer of the care of the citizens with severe mental illness and disturbances that cannot receive assistance from correctional institutions.
For a crime to be said to have occurred, three elements of crime have to be present.
The Uniform Crime Report, which was developed in the 1930s, is commonly used by the Federal Bureau of Investigation as a record of crimes committed all across the United States. These crimes, which fall under two categories, Part I and Part II offenses, are reported by local police to the Federal Bureau of Investigation each year. Part I offenses are considered to be the more serious of crimes recognized by society. Such examples of this are homicide, forcible rape, robbery, arson, motor vehicle theft, etc. Part II offenses are those that are considered less serious, such as fraud, simple assault, drug abuse, gambling, stolen property, embezzlement, etc. Part I crimes can also be subdivided into what are known as violent crimes and
This essay will discuss the strengths and weaknesses of sociological explanations of crimes with links to Durkheim’s anomie theory, Merton’s strain theory and the Labelling theory which will draw upon different academics that will highlight these specific areas of research. In sociological terms, crime is a social concept as it does not exist as an autonomous entity, but it is socially constructed by people. It can be analysed that sociological explanations of crime attribute deviance to various aspects of the social environment. For example, crime is strongly related to modern city life where this type of social environment creates cultural enclaves which results in producing criminal or deviant behaviour (Carrabine et al, 2014).
Sentence was passed and in that moment my whole life completely changed. In the background, you could hear the people chant, “Justice has finally been served!” They don’t know me I thought. Everybody makes mistakes, right? But, where was my second chance in life. My luck, the death penalty became legal again and eagerly waiting for me to become its newest member. My palms grew sweaty as always when I grew nervous and scared. There was nothing I could do. These people wanted me to pay for what I put them through.
Throughout the social development of individuals, there are several things that we learn through inclusion and the way in which parents raise us. We learn how to make appropriate social interactions depending on who is in our presence, we learn social expectation, what is considered good behavior, and finally what is considered bad behavior. Yet, awareness of what can constitute as criminal conduct has become increasingly prominent in our culture, especially with the strong presence in social media that it now has. However, what we are often exposed to are adult criminal assailants, and we rarely hear about juvenile, unless they have committed an extreme offense. But it is that last population, the one that we need to focus on, considering that it is them that can move to the extremes; to get blossom under help or to commit an increasing amount of crime.