Borderline personality disorder affects approximately 1.6% of the United States population, which is roughly 5.2 million people diagnosed with it. It is a serious mental illness characterized by an inability to regulate emotional responses and moods, impacting self-image and interpersonal relationships. People with borderline personality disorder often have bad habits such as spending issues, substance abuse issues, and sex addiction issues and they often perform recklessly while driving. This impulsive behavior causes them to have frequent interactions with the law. This dissertation will examine and prove that the influences borderline personality disorder has on court decisions, does not affect people’s competency and responsibility of their alleged crimes. …show more content…
People with borderline personality disorder are regularly held accountable for their crimes. This is proven by studies that have been conducted on jury verdicts that show borderline personality disorder, does not typically influence the juror’s decisions. This verifies borderline personality disorder does not have a major effect on jurors. Especially when they are deciding whether the suspect is competent to stand trial and when they are deciding if the suspect is responsible for their actions.
A person’s function, not their diagnosis, determines their competency and responsibility. This is crucial when deciding whether or not to acquit someone. For example, a person can be diagnosed with severe borderline personality disorder, but still be able to function normally. How much and how normal a person functions, influences a jury’s decision more than their clinical diagnosis. Because if they function normally, despite their diagnosis, they are competent to stand trial and they are responsible for their alleged crime or