Forensic Psychiatry Copyright to Owen Manuél and the OpenCollege
My thesis is based upon forensic psychiatry I choose this as I find it interesting and also because I know a lot of people judge criminals without realising backstage that they have mental illnesses which can cause and help towards their behaviour. Forensic psychiatry concerns the legal aspects of mental disorders and their aim is for assessment, treatment and rehabilitation of mentally ill offenders. The overall rate of offending by people with a mental illness appears similar to that of the general population. However, those with mental disorders should be taken into account that they may not have helped their problem and that instead of being imprisoned they may need psychiatric assessment and treatment. The crime is usually dependant on the disorder, patients with Schizophrenia usually often commit minor offenses such as shop-lifting or damage to property. Violence in schizophrenia is surprisingly rare and usually domestic which is due down to poor tolerance to family stresses. Depression usually has out-of-character offenses such as shoplifting. Depression related homicide is rare however when this is the case it is likely down to delusional behaviour. The question which forensic psychiatrists investigate is how much of the offence the criminal/patient commits is down to sanity? One argument case is the release of Peter Sutcliffe the Yorkshire Ripper. Most individuals disagree with this and think he should be kept in broadmoor psychiatric hospital. I argue with this case because I believe there is more too it as I have had previous forensic psychiatry experience online and I also study the minds of serial killers. The general public are influenced by the media which portrays serial killers in extreme negative ways what they do is severely wrong however you need to understand the mind and their mental illness before you can judge someone as “evil”. Like many mentally ill criminals Peter Sutcliffe had a poor childhood he was quiet and left school at 15 with poor grades. He was very close too his mother and as well as her having an affair his wife had an affair. This may have contributed towards his paranoid schizophrenia. The attacks were so violent it was clear he was mentally ill in some form. He writes the epitaph “In this truck is a man whose latent Genius if unleashed would rock the nation, whose dynamic energy would overpower those around him, better let him sleep?” This revealed to forensic psychiatrists that he was suffering from a psychotic illness. When he was finally caught he claimed that god was telling him (Auditory hallucinations) “to rid the streets of filth” this meaning prostitutes which he murdered. After serving prison for a few years he was transferred to Broadmoor in 1984. There he was being treated for Paranoid Schizophrenia. Many claim that the auditory hallucinations from god were made up so he could serve a less tough sentence. However, he was assessed by medically and professionally trained individuals who all decided he was suffering from psychosis. He is being treated there to this day. In 2009 a group of doctors claimed he was “fit to leave Broadmoor” into a medium secure hospital. Although the acts that were committed were evil it was clearly down to an imbalance of brain chemistry. However, now Peter Sutcliffe
has been treated for so many years that I think the general public should consider trusting the medically trained individuals. As he did not ask for paranoid schizophrenia he deserves to spend the rest of his life in a medium secure unit. I choose Peter Sutcliffe because he has proven mental illness compared to someone such as Ian Huntley who appears to have none and committed “evil” acts. Fitness to plead in a trial requires understanding of the nature of charges and the meaning of guilty and not guilty plea and also the capacity to challenge jurors and follow court proceedings. Everyone has the right to a free trial which is part of the Human Rights act. Therefore, if an individual is not fit to plead then it would be an unfair trial if they were to go ahead and plea. If the person has no one to speak to them then an Independent Mental Capacity Advocate will be appointed to represent their wishes. Antisocial personality disorder seems to hold account for various serious crimes such as rape and homicide. This is due to the symptoms of this illness including disregard to the safety of others, gross irresponsibility, incapacity to maintain relationships, aggressive threshold etc. This is why anyone who is diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder should be treated effectively and efficiently. Most people with dementia are most likely unlikely to be fit for court. Forensic Psychiatry forms a very important role in the criminal justice system as they are important in the diagnosis and classification of illnesses. Without forensic psychiatrists there would be a lot of unfair trials in court. Also, if you’re under the age of 10 then you are not criminally responsible for your actions. As well as Automatism due to the fact that if you are sleepwalking or have concussion then the brain affects all actions committed. A forensic psychiatrist helps the law by providing a mental state opinion which shows what they think of the mental illness of a criminal and the crime they committed. Another important factor is when a person is committed for an offence to check if they have any previous mental health problems as this will contribute towards the outcome of the trial. Alcohol and substance misuse should also be treated the same as other mental illnesses in the court system because although it may be the own persons fault for taking the alcohol/substance you must remember they may have became psychologically addicted to it and that would of contributed to brain damage. There is an important bridge to be crossed when it comes to criminal behaviour and responsibility. Criminals/patients certainly should not get away with crimes they commit, but it is important for them to be treated in psychiatry if it is down to an illness which causes the offence. What would prison do to a mentally ill person? It would probably do more damage then help. That’s why although it would cost the government and the NHS a lot of money, but psychological treatment would reduce the crime rate for re-offenders if every criminal had it. Cognitive Behavioural Therapy would be effective in criminals and also would Counselling. Psychoanalysis would help the criminal understand that what they did was wrong. All criminals in prison should receive some form of therapy to try and help them understand why what they did was wrong and even try and change their behaviour.