Crime And Mental Illness

Often, people who commit violent crimes are suffering from one mental illness or another. It is typically one of the first things people think of. Do we really know what mental disorders they are though? Here's a list of mental disorders that are commonly catalysts behind violent crimes. The ones that are in bold are found more often.

• Anxiety disorders
• anxiety due to a general medical condition
• substance-induced anxiety
• generalized anxiety disorder
• panic disorder
• acute stress disorder
• post-traumatic stress disorder
• adjustment disorder
• obsessive-compulsive disorder
• social phobia
• Delirium
• Delusional disorder
• Dementia 
• Impulsive control disorders
• Intoxication or withdrawal from medications or drugs
• Mood disorders
• Major Depression
• Anxiety Disorder
• Bipolar Disorder 
• Personality Disorders
• Anti-social Personality disorder
• Autism
• Schizoaffective disorder
• Schizophrenia 
• Substance dependence and abuse
• Traumatic brain injury

Keep in mind though that people do not commit these crimes because they have the disorders. There is always more to it. The scary thing is that most of us could look at this list and pick out more than one disorder that we ourselves have. Just looking at this list, I myself have four of these disorders! 

info from emedicine.medscape.com

Juvenile Delinquency Pt. 2

Because juvenile court differs so much from a regular court system, the terms used differ as well. Here is a quick list so you know what you're talking about:

Juvenile Term                                        Adult Term

Adjucation                                             Conviction of guilty

Adjustment                                           Referring to plea bargaining

After-care                                             Parole

Commitment                                        Sentence to imprisonment

Delinquent act                                      Crime

Detention                                              Holding in jail

Dispositional hearing                           Sentencing hearing

Hearing                                                 Trial

Petition                                                 Accusation/Indictment

Residental Care Facility                     Halfway House

Shelter                                                  Jail

Take into custody                              Arrest

Contrary to what some may believe, juveniles have the right to counsel, the right to early written notification of the charge, the right to confront and cross-examine one's accuser, the right to remain silent, and protection from self-incrimination.

Keep in mind, I'm not telling anyone to go out and become a juvenile delinquent, nor am I making excuses for them. I am simply attempting to inform the public on the nature of how a juvenile's behavior becomes delinquent.

info from http://www.yale.edu/

Juvenile Delinquency Pt.1

How does juvenile behavior become delinquent? When? What happens as a result?

• Statistics show that broken homes, the order of birth, and family size are huge contributors to who may become a juvenile delinquent. In 1950, 40.5 million children were living in families with both a father and a mother while 4.1 million children were living within broken families. In 1970, there were about 7.6 million minors growing up with only one parent or with neither. In 1966, every three marriages ended in divorce and the number of children in broken homes significantly increased. Because of this, children are spending more time alone, thus leaving them with emotional voids that they try to fill by acting out.
• The result of this has increased the number of runaways, teenage suicides, teenage parenthood, etc.
• Most girls are arrested for running away, being involved in a gang, and/or sex offenses.
• Most boys are arrested for vandalism, theft, assault, rape, drugs, and some major offenses.

Discipline in the home relating to delinquent behavior:

• When family realtions are disturbed, it is more likely that children will become delinquents. There are three main contributing factors:
• careless or inadequate supervision by the mother;
• erratic or overly strict discipline;
• lack of cohesiveness of the family unit.
• Types of discipline:
• Sound - consistant and firm control but not strict enough to cause fear;
• Fair - control which is indefinate: sometimes strict, somtimes relaxed;
• Unsound - extremely relaxed OR extremely strict which either gives unrestrained acts of freedome or restricts to the point of rebellion.

info from http://www.yale.edu/