Introduction
Psychiatric disorders are always a topic of discussion when it comes to violent crimes. A majority of the most highly publicized violent criminals have some sort of mental illness diagnosis. This can vary from types of substance abuse to full-blown schizophrenia. This comes into play when the defense in a case tries to plead insanity. There seems to be a direct connection between these disorders and crime because, often enough, violent criminals are tested and considered mentally unstable, which results in a non-guilty plea. Not guilty by reason of insanity is defined by Cornell Law School Legal Information Institute as “a defense in which a person can be found not guilty, or not responsible, for a crime because, at the time of the crime, the accused was unable to differentiate between right and wrong, based on the fact that the accused suffers from mental illness or mental defect.” This correlation is important even before a criminal act is committed. Paralleling mental illnesses and crime may allow for a decrease in crime by providing rehabilitation prior to an offense, unlike waiting until after. If patterns of psychiatric traits and personalities are associated with violent crime, younger individuals with these traits should be subjected to rehabilitation early on. In all, the prevalence of mental illness and crime, along with the potential decrease in recidivism or initial offenses, studying the relationship between violent crime and psychiatric disorders is research worth expanding upon.
To begin, what are psychiatric disorders? A psychiatric disorder is a mental illness diagnosed by a mental health professional that greatly disturbs your thinking, moods, and/or behavior and seriously increases your risk of disability, pain, death, or loss of freedom (Very Well Mind.) These include depression, personality disorders, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, and addictive behaviors, like substance abuse, along with an abundance of others. In regards to this research, the genetic or biological causes of character rather than the sociological, the upbringing and societal factors, are being considered. Psychopathy, or antisocial personality disorder, is characterized by a lack of remorse and diminishing behavioral controls (Blair, 2003.) While Antisocial Personality Disorder, may only affect 0.6% of the population, it may affect up to 47% of male inmates and 21% female inmates, according to WebMd.
So how do these illnesses cause such a disruption? Neurons in the brain are the basic units of the nervous system that send signals through dendrites and axons transmit those singles to other neurons. Most disorders have been linked to a communication problem between the neurons. Once one connection is disrupted, others will be too, because of the increase or decrease in neurochemicals (National Institute of Health.) This can result in the specific areas of the brain shrinking and lacking activity. It can be shown that from there, there is an increase in unusual behavior and absence of certain, normal emotions. For example, with schizophrenia, CT scans have shown the structural differences compared to a healthy brain. It shows effected brains have 25% less gray matter in the frontal and temporal regions, which are the primary areas for constructing thoughts and judgment (Nesmade & Dombeck, Ph.D.) These brains also show differences in tissue volume and activity, as well as, the amount of chemical messengers within the brain. Obviously, each mental illness may affect different parts of the brain, but they are generally all losing connections, whether it be physically through neurons losing connection or chemically through an increase or decrease in neurotransmitters.
For reference, some of the most notorious killers were affected by such disorders. Schizophrenia, which is one of the most prominent among serial killers, is also categorized by hallucinations and delusions. David Berkowitz (known as the “Son of Sam”), Ed Gein (who was inspiration for Buffalo Bill), and Richard Chase (“the vampire of Sacramento”) were all diagnosed with this disorder (forensiccolleges.com.) The infamous Jeffrey Dahmer was diagnosed with Borderline Personality Disorder, which is actually more common among women. Ted Bundy (who confessed to 30 murders in the 70’s), John Wayne Gacy, also known as the Killer Clown that raped and killed 33 boys in the 1970’s, and Manson family cult leader, Charles Manson, were all effected by Antisocial Personality Disorder (forensiccolleges.com.) However, a majority of the population affected by psychiatric disorders never commit any type of violent crime. This just goes to show that a majority of the criminals that do, do have some type of brain illness.
Methods
One study that is particularly interesting was conducted by William E. Copeland, Ph.D., Shari Miller-Johnson, Ph.D., Gordon Keeler, M.S., Adrian Angold, M.R.C.Psych., and E. Jane Costello, Ph.D. It correlated childhood psychiatric disorders and young adult crime. To begin, their research showed that 1 in 5 juveniles within the system had some sort of mental illness. They took a sample of 1,420 children of the ages 9, 11, and 13. All were followed yearly until they were 16 years old. At the age of 16, they reach young adulthood. Results showed that 31% of the sample had at least one charge as an adult (Copeland, 2007.) 51.4% of men and 43.6% of female offenders had some sort of psychiatric issues as a child. Finally, the most severe or violent crimes committed were by someone that has a combination of both emotional and behavioral disorders (Copeland, 2007.)
A study by E.B. Elbogen and S.C. Johnson discussed the prevalence of crime linked to mental illness, but included some other important factors. Mental illness and violence data was gathered by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism. Subjects were given one face-to-face survey between 2002 and 2003, and the second from 2004-2005. Survey 1 discussed severe psychiatric disorders and the risk factors. That data was used in construct survey 2 on violent behavior. While there was a correlation between severe mental illness and violent crime, it was only significant when another variable was involved – substance abuse or some type of dependence (Elbogen, 2009.) It is important to note that this study concluded mental illnesses did not necessarily lead to future crime. Historical, clinical, dispositional, and contextual factors were more influential on violence and likely predicted future offenses. However, those suffering from mental illnesses usually had several of these factors, as well. Now that proposes the question of which comes first? Did these factors lead to the mental illness, which led to crime, or did the mental illness lead to strain causing other factors of life? This we do not know.
Unfortunately, I am not in the place to conduct my own research study of this topic. Due to time constraints and the sensitivity of the populations being observed, I’m not capable of doing so. However, for future studies, I would like to conduct studies similar to Copeland, et al. In their study, they observed children that were already in the juvenile system. I would like to study children they may not actually have committed crime yet, but who have been diagnosed with psychiatric disorders and that have similar personality traits to those violent criminals. I’d like to see if proper treatment early enough could prevent criminal behavior entirely. There would be a group of children that fits the description above, juveniles that are not affected by mental illness, and then, juveniles with disorders that have already made their way into the system. Comparing the group of mentally healthy juveniles would serve as a baseline. I’m interested in seeing the difference between the children with disorders that have never been convicted and those with disorders that have. I predict that by giving sufficient treatment to the children that display “criminal” traits before they are subjected to crime may prevent a downward spiral into the criminal justice system. Giving treatment to the juveniles after they have already been convicted may be somewhat beneficial, but when a vulnerable mind becomes overcome with certain. This would be a lengthy study in order to track future recidivism into their adult life.
Results
Of study one, a pattern between childhood disorders and crime as a young adult was evident. Their point to prove was that the recognition and treatment of such disorders at a young age could lead to recidivism in later years. Statistics show that of all mental illnesses, 50% occur before the age of 14 years old (kidsmentalhealth.org.) With such a high prevalence of diagnoses in this age group, it is crucial to have adequate treatment because of how vulnerable children can be. They are susceptible to so many things, especially if their mind isn’t developed or working properly. Treatment options can very from medication, like antidepressants or serotonin reuptake inhibitors, to different types of psychotherapy such as, play therapy, animal-assisted therapy, and operant conditioning (World Health Organization, 2005.)
Based on the conclusion of the second study mentioned, treatment of criminals with mental illnesses need to take into account the several other components that may be leading to violence. It is known that criminals suffering from these disorders often reoffend. Therefore, looking deeper into their lives may cue in other treatment options to better serve them.
Discussion
As mentioned earlier, juveniles, criminals, and the mentally ill are all sensitive populations to study. Not to mention in this instance, they are all together. This is the primary limitation of studying this topic. Gaining access to them and doing so ethically is vital.
Future studies on this topic can be elaborated on due to the never-ending supply of subjects. Violent crime is inevitable and the criminal justice system is always seeking new ways of crime control. Whether it is through deterrence, incapacitation, or rehabilitation, reducing recidivism is ultimately the primary goal. Psychiatric patients just present a problem because when the brain is physically incapable of processing behaviors and feelings correctly, what is the correct way to discipline them? Conducting more research on the similar traits amongst criminals, potentially leading to finding new criminals before they actually commit would be a beneficial study.
Conclusion
In conclusion, studying the correlation between psychiatric disorders and violent crime is not only beneficial for the criminal justice system, but for the individuals affected, as well. Better understanding the brain malfunctions of those suffering from mental illnesses can lead to better treatment to reduce criminal recidivism. It may also allow for a decrease in crimes committed initially. Noticing these psychotic characteristics early on can lead to a decrease in young adulthood violence.