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Essay: Do Criminals Have Mental Illnesses

1832 Words8 Pages

As citizens of the United States, contributing to the building of this nation is a major priority. Part of this, is doing as much as one can to help deter crime rate. In the process of doing so, however, it is possible that hundreds of lives could be put at risk. These are the lives of those who commit the wrongdoing but do not obtain the mental capacity to comprehend the severity of their actions. Throughout the years, there has been an up rise in the debate concerning whether or not criminals who have been diagnosed with, or show symptoms of having mental illnesses should be treated or incarcerated. This argument is one that has been presented in many cases and has cost numerous lives. Because these individuals are not fully aware of their actions, criminals who have been proven to or show signs of having a mental illness should be evaluated before being incarcerated and receive the treatment needed. …show more content…

Physical and mental suffering links with their diagnoses and forces them to live an unhappy life. The Cable News Network published an article in 2015 explaining the shortage of medical care prison systems provide for their perpetrators. Newt Gingrich wrote, “Our system is unfair to those struggling with mental illness. Cycling them through the criminal justice system, we miss opportunities to link them to treatment that could lead them to drastic improvements in their quality of life and our public safety.” This meaning that in the process of punishing what appears to be corrupt people, we miss the opportunity to assist them in transforming for the better through medical care. Instead, while doing what seems to be the correct procedures, we run the risk of these mentally ill offenders to repeat the same, if not worse, offenses. This is a never-ending cycle that can be reduced if approached with the correct

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