Are criminals mentally ill?

[Onthe29th]

I tried to look this up before and I found nothing

Here's the article that made me start thinking about this

It wasn't this article but it was something like it.

Someone once said that only mentally I'll people commit suicide.

If that's the case then rapists and murderers are mentally ill? States are starting to see that drug addicts are mentally ill too but it'll take a long time to decriminalize drugs as well (even in small amounts)

Former convicts are 4 times more likely to end up homeless and more likely to commit suicide l. I was taught in school that homeless people are mostly mentally ill.

It doesn't help that going to prison can make it a million times harder to find a job and take care of yourself and it's a form of modern day slavery (forcing inmates to work and paying them next to nothing)

Im not saying that criminals don't deserve punishment, all im saying is that prison should be more rehabilitative then punitive.

 

[Silenos]

I'm technically a criminal and I'm mentally ill. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[summers]

I don't think most criminals are mentally ill, and definitely not ill enough to not know they are doing wrong. Drug dealers and users are technically criminals. I don't think they are mentally ill, nor do I think they deserve to be in prison. People who commit securities fraud go to jail longer than killers and rapists, and they aren't mentally ill either. I also don't think they deserve prison - maybe just fines that go toward restitution and loss of license.

For violent criminals - no, most of them aren't mentally ill in that they know they're doing wrong. I also am sure that there is no rehab for these people. Keeping them alive is just a waste of resources that could go toward helping people, providing education, healthcare, mental health services.

I won't post a link, but there was a recent article about someone who raped an infant to death. This piece of shit will never do anything but be a drain on and danger to society. Believe me, I can think of at least a few ways his last hours would be very very painful.

 

[Feeding Pigeons]

Its a good question, but you'd have to clearly outline what you consider "mentally ill".

For violent criminals - no, most of them aren't mentally ill in that they know they're doing wrong.

See, in this case I would considering them mentally ill because they were able to go through with the violence and not feel anything, unless it was like a crime of passion or something.

 

[FogFilledLife]

Not all, but a large portion. The mentally ill are more likely to commit crimes. Depends on the illness, of course.

 

[GrumpyFrog]

Not all of them are mentally ill, but there is certainly a higher percentage of mentally ill people among criminals (especially violent criminals) than it is among the general population. It might mean many things, from violent narcissists and psychopaths, to people with extremely traumatic past and bad cases of PTSD, to cases where "insanity defence" is at the very least considered because the criminal appears psychotic, delusional or otherwise not fully aware of their actions or capable of controlling them at the time of commiting the crime. Additionally, both going through prison and eventually realising the gravity of your own actions might be severely traumatic and leave previously "normal" person mentally ill. Not all criminals become suicidal, even when facing very serious charges and public scrutiny, either.

 

[summers]

Not all criminals become suicidal, even when facing very serious charges and public scrutiny, either.

If anything, this is the strongest indicator of mental illness.

 

[RealLostSoul]

What do you consider mental illness? If you consider depression and hopelessness then I would agree that those things are commonly found in criminals.

Also it is wrong that only mentally ill people commit suicide. There are enough situations where from a rational standpoint it is understandable that an otherwise mentally healthy human commits suicide. Take terminal illness, bankruptcy, war, slavery, imprisonment, loss of loved ones, etc.

 

[NormaJeane]

I tried to look this up before and I found nothing

Here's the article that made me start thinking about this

It wasn't this article but it was something like it.

Someone once said that only mentally I'll people commit suicide.

If that's the case then rapists and murderers are mentally ill? States are starting to see that drug addicts are mentally ill too but it'll take a long time to decriminalize drugs as well (even in small amounts)

Former convicts are 4 times more likely to end up homeless and more likely to commit suicide l. I was taught in school that homeless people are mostly mentally ill.

It doesn't help that going to prison can make it a million times harder to find a job and take care of yourself and it's a form of modern day slavery (forcing inmates to work and paying them next to nothing)

Im not saying that criminals don't deserve punishment, all im saying is that prison should be more rehabilitative then punitive.

It is common for criminals to be psychopaths.

 

[olkf]

You would have to be a mentally ill to commit crimes violent crimes.

 

[demuic]

Mental illness is something determined by society. It holds many different meanings.

Mental illness is often defined as conditions which impedes one's ability to function in society and/or causes them distress, to put it very simply.

In the case of psychopathy, I do not see "mental illness" as fitting for that condition.

Many psychopaths do not seem to impeded by their psychopathy, and in fact high levels of psychopathy seem to be necessary in order to receive a certain amount of success in society, that is why it is found often in highly successful groups of people. And it certainly does not seem to cause them any distress.

I do not see the mental health industry trying trying sell pills and cure people of psychopathy, sociopathy or narcissism to the extent that they do with things like depression, bipolar disorder, and countless other "mental illnesses." Mental illness is sought to be fixed in many cases because people with these conditions go against the status quo of how most people function, or because it reduces their ability to be productive workers. That is not to say that mental conditions are totally made up or not "real" , there are differences between someone with these conditions and without, but my point is that they are not considered necessary to be treated purely due to some compassion in society towards those who are suffering.

The crimes and abuses committed as a result of "antisocial personalities" are only really considered a problem if they result in something like murder. Some amounts of psychopathy are normal and accepted in society.

I think few murderers and rapists are suffering from something like psychosis which could make them out of touch with reality, and anything like an "insanity" defense would not hold up as they are very aware of what they're doing.

Someone once said that only mentally I'll people commit suicide.

That is completely false. I'm sure the guy in that article wouldn't have tried to commit suicide if he wasn't about to go to prison for rape. I disagree with defining committing suicide as an act of mental illness or demonstrative of mental illness exactly for this reason and countless others.

 

[Depressed Cat]

Only a tiny percentage of criminals are mentally ill. One can't put a number to it, but it's probably less than 5%, maybe even 1%.

Insanity is a defence that many "normal" criminals try to use to avoid legal punishment (including possibly the death sentence) and thus the false association of criminality with mental illness.

Most criminals are perfectly aware of what they're doing and many even derive pleasure out of it. Sadism is more common than one would imagine. Some people are simply evil, that's how the world is and always has been.

In Third World shitholes like the one I live in, some criminals commit heinous crimes because they know they can get away with it. The police are extremely corrupt and useless, the judicial system is rotten to the core and there is a deep nexus between politicians and criminals. Many legislators who get elected are criminals themselves (who have committed serious crimes like rape & murder), so you can imagine how hellish such shitholes are to live in.

 

[Onthe29th]

i know a healthcare professional who

Only a tiny percentage of criminals are mentally ill. One can't put a number to it, but it's probably less than 5%, maybe even 1%.

Insanity is a defence that many "normal" criminals try to use to avoid legal punishment (including possibly the death sentence) and thus the false association of criminality with mental illness.

Most criminals are perfectly aware of what they're doing and many even derive pleasure out of it. Sadism is more common than one would imagine. Some people are simply evil, that's how the world is and always has been.

In Third World shitholes like the one I live in, some criminals commit heinous crimes because they know they can get away with it. The police are extremely corrupt and useless, the judicial system is rotten to the core and there is a deep nexus between politicians and criminals. Many legislators who get elected are criminals themselves (who have committed serious crimes like rape & murder), so you can imagine how hellish such shitholes are to live in.

I know someone who works in healthcare. She thinks that 50-60% are mentally ill. She said that there was an inmates that only had violent urges when they weren't medicated and when they were, they expressed remorse and sometimes cried.

I've also watched 60 days in, I've noticed some obvious schizophrenics, drug addicts are also mentally ill, homeless people like to commit crimes so they can have shelter and we've already established that they're mentally ill. Yea, there's a lot of sociopaths and psychopaths in prison too but that's also a mental illness, rapists are just working on predatory instinct and are hypersexual so it can be argued that they're mentally Ill too. Think about it- if they hate prison so much they commit a crime and attempt suicide later to avoid prison?
Again I'm not justifying anything, I just think that if we take the time to understand our prisoners and they're mental health, maybe we can keep people out of prison, reduce crimes and reduce recidivism.

Why should we just allow these people to run on their predatory instincts and possibly hurt someone if there could possibly be a way to help them?

Your country has a lot of work to do before they can have a discussion like this. I'm talking about America specifically.

 

[waitingforrest]

I don't really have much experience with the connection between mental illness and crimes so sorry if I overgeneralize.

I feel as if the label mentally ill is thrown around so much that it has lost its meaning. I dislike the very term mental illness because it suggests something is wrong with a person's mind. In the past many normal behaviors were labeled as mental illness because they were taboo.

I can say from my experience that whenever someone does a horrible crime they are labeled as insane, unempathetic, and mentally ill. While those labels usually fit well, the problem is that non-violent mentally ill people are also lumped into the same labels just because they too are mentally ill.

I think this is shown well in the hospitalization treatment of suicidal people. A person presenting to the emergency room for any other case would not be forced to strip and be checked for weapons. (In my country). But neurotypicals could also be carrying weapons, it's just the suicidal that are checked.

Whenever I am asked about my SI by staff, it was always followed up with, do you have homicidal thoughts? Staff lock suicidal people up in hospitals just like prisons, and limit rights as well.

I sometimes wonder by putting a label on someone influences their behavior. Like how someone being called unattractive makes them believe that they are. Oh well, I literally have little idea what I'm talking about. I do like the discussion around this though.

 

[Sherri]

Not all., but sometimes people pile up many things in their head for years like a pressure cooker one day they will explode. I've seen trials where people are judged because they claim the murder took place because the alleged criminal smoked a lot of pot. Call me crazy, but I never saw someone harm anyone because of pot. Alcohol and other substances have much more real potential to get someone to cause harm to someone But if someone is mentally ill, it's a sensitive subject, depends of the mental state that person has.

 

[Onthe29th]

Mental illness is something determined by society. It holds many different meanings.

Mental illness is often defined as conditions which impedes one's ability to function in society and/or causes them distress, to put it very simply.

In the case of psychopathy, I do not see "mental illness" as fitting for that condition.

Many psychopaths do not seem to impeded by their psychopathy, and in fact high levels of psychopathy seem to be necessary in order to receive a certain amount of success in society, that is why it is found often in highly successful groups of people. And it certainly does not seem to cause them any distress.

I do not see the mental health industry trying trying sell pills and cure people of psychopathy, sociopathy or narcissism to the extent that they do with things like depression, bipolar disorder, and countless other "mental illnesses." Mental illness is sought to be fixed in many cases because people with these conditions go against the status quo of how most people function, or because it reduces their ability to be productive workers. That is not to say that mental conditions are totally made up or not "real" , there are differences between someone with these conditions and without, but my point is that they are not considered necessary to be treated purely due to some compassion in society towards those who are suffering.

The crimes and abuses committed as a result of "antisocial personalities" are only really considered a problem if they result in something like murder. Some amounts of psychopathy are normal and accepted in society.

I think few murderers and rapists are suffering from something like psychosis which could make them out of touch with reality, and anything like an "insanity" defense would not hold up as they are very aware of what they're doing.


That is completely false. I'm sure the guy in that article wouldn't have tried to commit suicide if he wasn't about to go to prison for rape. I disagree with defining committing suicide as an act of mental illness or demonstrative of mental illness exactly for this reason and countless others.

you can find people with all types of mental illnesses in prison. Psychopathy, sociopathy, bipolar, schizophrenics, add/adhd, etc (meaning all kinds of mental illness of varying degrees). Their behavior even improves if they're medicated properly.
There are homeless people and drug addicts are considered mentally ill too.

Some homeless people will commit crimes so they can have someplace to live.

The person with the article I can't find had recently come out of prison and then raped and killed a woman he was stalking for a while. Then, he tried to kill himself with pills. I can't find that article for some reason. I thought to myself " if he hated prison so much that he would kill himself to avoid it, why would he commit the crime? This man had a wife and everything so it's not like he was sexually deprived either. I think what he exhibited was a behavior that could potentially be cured with medication.

If I hadn't seen how behavior can change with the right medication, I wouldn't even be thinking about this.

 

[RealLostSoul]

Only a tiny percentage of criminals are mentally ill. One can't put a number to it, but it's probably less than 5%, maybe even 1%.

Insanity is a defence that many "normal" criminals try to use to avoid legal punishment (including possibly the death sentence) and thus the false association of criminality with mental illness.

Most criminals are perfectly aware of what they're doing and many even derive pleasure out of it. Sadism is more common than one would imagine. Some people are simply evil, that's how the world is and always has been.

I disagree. I think op was never talking about the juristical stand of mental illness, which just means unable to understand right and wrong (and I wholeheartedly disagree with the way courts handle it in the west) . mental illness in a broad term takes a lot into account. Someone with bipolar disorder can be very educated and know full well what's right or wrong in our system just like you and me - but during episodes suffer severe emotional outbursts. That's a mental illness and nothing one chooses.

Also I'd say sadism as in getting pleasure out of others misery could be seen as a form of mental illness. There is no inherit "evil" in the world, just the morals in this civilisation that generations over generations taught us. Psychopathy isn't an illness per se, just a neurological abnormally.
The same way we were born with different bodies our brains can have huge genetical differences. It's called neurodiversity and definitely exists more than we think. Now we put everything into perspective as these types of things (autism, psychopathy, etc etc) don't work out well in our society, making us declare that it is a bad trait. It's the unfortunate environment that a lot of people with "mental illness" have to live in (also taking into account that we have nothing to cure or change it, only mere surface scratching attempts to treat symptoms with toxic medication that often have more risks than benefits)

 

[Onthe29th]

I don't really have much experience with the connection between mental illness and crimes so sorry if I overgeneralize.

I feel as if the label mentally ill is thrown around so much that it has lost its meaning. I dislike the very term mental illness because it suggests something is wrong with a person's mind. In the past many normal behaviors were labeled as mental illness because they were taboo.

I can say from my experience that whenever someone does a horrible crime they are labeled as insane, unempathetic, and mentally ill. While those labels usually fit well, the problem is that non-violent mentally ill people are also lumped into the same labels just because they too are mentally ill.

I think this is shown well in the hospitalization treatment of suicidal people. A person presenting to the emergency room for any other case would not be forced to strip and be checked for weapons. (In my country). But neurotypicals could also be carrying weapons, it's just the suicidal that are checked.

Whenever I am asked about my SI by staff, it was always followed up with, do you have homicidal thoughts? Staff lock suicidal people up in hospitals just like prisons, and limit rights as well.

I sometimes wonder by putting a label on someone influences their behavior. Like how someone being called unattractive makes them believe that they are. Oh well, I literally have little idea what I'm talking about. I do like the discussion around this though.

I know how you feel but people who try to ctb are really smart. No one likes being tricked and outsmarted. Suicidal people are like jerry and the staff are all Tom; let's put it that way.

What I think is that mental illness is a construct of civilization. I think what's considered as mental illness may have had potential benefits in nature and for reproduction but they aren't useful for modern civilization; even suicide is to ensure that the best and the strongest continue the species. Behaviors that we consider mental illness also exist in nature but we don't call it that for them. Unfortunately I can't back this up since I haven't researched this theory much but I have to live in civilization and if I can't do it and someone tells me to take a pill to make it easier to do, I will. Life is hard

 

[demuic]

homeless people like to commit crimes so they can have shelter and we've already established that they're mentally ill.

There are high rates of mental illness, yes, but that doesn't mean everyone who's homeless is mentally ill... If they commit crimes, they are mostly out of desperation or for survival, like stealing necessities to live. You won't start committing cold blooded murder and rape just because you became homeless unless that was something you already wanted to do.

rapists are just working on predatory instinct and are hypersexual so it can be argued that they're mentally Ill too. Think about it- if they hate prison so much they commit a crime and attempt suicide later to avoid prison?

Sorry that's ridiculous to me. What even is a "predatory insinct"? This toes the line of being apologetic toward rapists so I would be careful with that. It's very possible to be hypersexual without raping anyone... In any case, no one commits a crime expecting to get caught, most think they will get away with it, and when they are about to get caught and sent to prison, that is when they will attempt suicide to escape that fate, or in something like murder suicide they will do it preemptively. Suicide can be rational.

All of what you're saying just kind of shows the uselessness of the term mentally ill.

What is your definition of mental illness exactly? Do you think it excuses someone of culpability for their actions?

you can find people with all types of mental illnesses in prison. Psychopathy, sociopathy, bipolar, schizophrenics, add/adhd, etc (meaning all kinds of mental illness of varying degrees). Their behavior even improves if they're medicated properly.

Yes, just like you can find people with all types of mental illnesses outside of prison. Some people may have a mental condition and commit cries, that does not mean whatever condition they have caused them to act out that crime. What behavior? What crimes? What medication? Conditions like bipolar, schizophrenia, and ADHD, etc, won't make you murder or rape someone. I would like to know what the evidence is behind this statement.

There is not always some reason behind someone committing a crime like "they're mentally ill" (the definition of which is still nebulous.) Sometimes they are sadistic, they do it for fun, they want to hold power over someone, etc. This view seems overly simplistic. Considering most psychiatric medication can barely treat the illnesses they're intended for, let alone cure, any implications in broadly treating criminality sound incredibly dubious.

I feel as if the label mentally ill is thrown around so much that it has lost its meaning. I dislike the very term mental illness because it suggests something is wrong with a person's mind. In the past many normal behaviors were labeled as mental illness because they were taboo.

I can say from my experience that whenever someone does a horrible crime they are labeled as insane, unempathetic, and mentally ill. While those labels usually fit well, the problem is that non-violent mentally ill people are also lumped into the same labels just because they too are mentally ill.

Completely agree.

 

[Grav]

I think there's 2 different definitions. I don't think are "mentally ill" in that they should be institutionalized or receive some lesser sentence for their crimes, but I do think many probably could have avoided the path they are on if there was treatment for underlying issues (many due to society). They might have been diverted off the criminal track.

 

[Onthe29th]

There are high rates of mental illness, yes, but that doesn't mean everyone who's homeless is mentally ill... If they commit crimes, they are mostly out of desperation or for survival, like stealing necessities to live. You won't start committing cold blooded murder and rape just because you became homeless unless that was something you already wanted to do.

Of course not everyone who's homeless is mentally ill. I'm specifically talking about our prison population. People who are homeless because they're jobs simply don't pay enough don't commit crimes like this.

Sorry that's ridiculous to me. What even is a "predatory insinct"? This toes the line of being apologetic toward rapists so I would be careful with that. It's very possible to be hypersexual without raping anyone... In any case, no one commits a crime expecting to get caught, most think they will get away with it, and when they are about to get caught and sent to prison, that is when they will attempt suicide to escape that fate, or in something like murder suicide they will do it preemptively. Suicide can be rational.

If animals can be predatory then so can humans. Just because most of us can fight our instincts doesn't mean all of us are above them. Prison doesn't seem rapists a crime worthy of a life sentence which is why we have neighbors that happen to be registered sex offenders. Wouldn't you also like the peace of mind knowing that they've been thoroughly researched mentally and are required to be on medication and some sort of mental health program to reduce recidivism.

There was a man who was release from prison for rape only to be released and go on to rape a 2 year old child and give her hiv. Rather then thinking people like me are apologists, you should see me as someone trying to come up with a solution to a serious problem by actually trying to look at criminals and understand them. I have seen how medications can influence behavior so I don't see why no one has thought that maybe be they medicated criminals properly and rehabbed them, they could potentially be somewhat normal members of society at least on the surface. Crime could potentially go down and so would recidivism. That's all I'm hoping for.

What is your definition of mental illness exactly? Do you think it excuses someone of culpability for their actions?

My definition of mental illness is THE definition of mental illness; a wide range of conditions that affects mood, thinking and behavior. I don't think it excuses crime but some people are more prone to them because of mental illness. If they get the proper help, they'll be able to return to society and hopefully not prison.

Yes, just like you can find people with all types of mental illnesses outside of prison. Some people may have a mental condition and commit cries, that does not mean whatever condition they have caused them to act out that crime. What behavior? What crimes? What medication? Conditions like bipolar, schizophrenia, and ADHD, etc, won't make you murder or rape someone. I would like to know what the evidence is behind this statement.

There is not always some reason behind someone committing a crime like "they're mentally ill" (the definition of which is still nebulous.) Sometimes they are sadistic, they do it for fun, they want to hold power over someone, etc. This view seems overly simplistic. Considering most psychiatric medication can barely treat the illnesses they're intended for, let alone cure, any implications in broadly treating criminality sound incredibly dubious.

Mental illness increases the chance of someone going to prison. It doesn't mean we go to prison because we're mentally ill. obviously there's no name for the mental illness that murderers and rapists suffer from because no on has actually studied them. I looked it up and found very little. But if mental illness is a behavior and medications influence our feelings, thoughts, and behaviors, is it a stretch to think maybe it could influence theres as well?

If there not mentally ill then obviously I didn't make this post for them. Of course I want all people to be rehabilitated rather then punished for mistakes but mental health can complicate that and be a roadblock to real change and I believe they deserve more services so that they can be productive members of society if they're ever released

I think there's 2 different definitions. I don't think are "mentally ill" in that they should be institutionalized or receive some lesser sentence for their crimes, but I do think many probably could have avoided the path they are on if there was treatment for underlying issues (many due to society). They might have been diverted off the criminal track.

I feel like if they end up on that criminal path, more should be done to prevent them from returning to prison. I think making sure that mental health is properly taken care of is one of those to prevent them from going down that path again.

 

[Onthe29th]

It is common for criminals to be psychopaths.

https://www.healthaffairs.org/do/10.1377/forefront.20140401.038180/full/

Most common mental Illness is depression, bipolar disorder and schizophrenia.

https://www.prisonpolicy.org/research/mental_health/

This organization says more then half of people in prison suffer from mental illness.

I've also heard that people leave with ptsd a lot of the time.

I think we need to realize that not everyone in prison is a monster. The sooner people can realize they're people with problems, the sooner we can help them rehabilitate.

 

[Wails]

You know, both criminalization and pathologization of a thing depend on the culture of that time. being gay and trans was considered both a crime and a mental illness before. idk what my post adds to the discussion but it is something to keep in mind I guess.

also, I think it is a pretty known fact that we throw mentally ill folks into jails and instead of rehabilitation we punish them...

 

[Onthe29th]

https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp

50% of prisoners are there for drugs, unlike what everyone seems to believe. This proves my point right there that the mentally ILl make up a large portion of prisons. Next is murdered and sex offenders who I believe are also mentally I'll and need help. Remember, sex offenders don't necessarily stay in prison for the rest of their lives

 

[Wails]

Not all, but a large portion. The mentally ill are more likely to commit crimes. Depends on the illness, of course

I actually do not know much about this. But my understanding is we, the mentally ill, are more likely to be the victim than victimize others. even psychopaths deserve our respect and love. the only reason someone is pushed into committing crimes is solely societal. you may disagree and that's alright

You would have to be a mentally ill to commit crimes violent crimes.

no? not at all. Most of the worst and most violent crimes committed in human history such as the holocaust, the Armenian genocide and so many more were perpetrated by people who were considered "sane". I hate this portrayal of the mentally ill as violent in this thread

 

[Onthe29th]

I thought that if anyone would understand where I was coming from, it would be this community. You all still responded better to this then another community did when I talked about decriminalizing drugs so that's cool I guess.

 

[Grav]

I think we need to realize that not everyone in prison is a monster.

I don't think they are all monsters but there is a good chunk who have committed crimes that really, IMO, are of a caliber that said criminal is never to see a free day ever again. The amount of fear, suffering, and pain they have caused for the victim and their loved ones is not met through the "justice system". While they may have mental illness the term is also used as a way to lessen the crime they have committed. People have to want to receive help.

 

[Insomniac]

I tried to look this up before and I found nothing

Here's the article that made me start thinking about this

It wasn't this article but it was something like it.

Someone once said that only mentally I'll people commit suicide.

If that's the case then rapists and murderers are mentally ill? States are starting to see that drug addicts are mentally ill too but it'll take a long time to decriminalize drugs as well (even in small amounts)

Former convicts are 4 times more likely to end up homeless and more likely to commit suicide l. I was taught in school that homeless people are mostly mentally ill.

It doesn't help that going to prison can make it a million times harder to find a job and take care of yourself and it's a form of modern day slavery (forcing inmates to work and paying them next to nothing)

Im not saying that criminals don't deserve punishment, all im saying is that prison should be more rehabilitative then punitive.

For me, there are two kinds of criminals:

- Political criminals like Hitler or the traders at Société Général ( yes to me they're the same kind )
- And murderers find in prison

The first ones aren't mentally ill. They're evil.

The second ones are pathologically stupid. I consider them mentally ill and in need of care

 

[Onthe29th]

I don't think they are all monsters but there is a good chunk who have committed crimes that really, IMO, are of a caliber that said criminal is never to see a free day ever again. The amount of fear, suffering, and pain they have caused for the victim and their loved ones is not met through the "justice system". While they may have mental illness the term is also used as a way to lessen the crime they have committed. People have to want to receive help.

https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp

Look at this, most people don't commit crimes that cause life sentences. Sex related crimes don't always lead to life imprisonment which is why it's not unusual for people to register as a sex offender. The reason why it seems that way is because no one is interested in minor crimes.

…Unfortunately you do have a point about people wanting to accept help. I wish there was a way to convince people to do that. I get that different people are different and maybe some of them like prison, idk.

For me, there are two kinds of criminals:

- Political criminals like Hitler or the traders at Société Général ( yes to me they're the same kind )
- And murderers find in prison

The first ones aren't mentally ill. They're evil.

The second ones are pathologically stupid. I consider them mentally ill and in need of care

I don't really believe in good and evil. I believe in people are on a spectrum from ok to fucked up

https://www.bop.gov/about/statistics/statistics_inmate_offenses.jsp

Very few people go to prison for fraud actually.

Most people go to prison for sex crimes, violent crimes and drug offenses.

People who suffer from mental illness actually tend to be very intelligent people it's just that their thoughts actions and behaviors aren't really beneficial to them and society.

I don't want to dismiss people by saying that they behaved a particular way because they're stupid. I think people deserve an opportunity to learn and grow and also receive proper assistance for their mental health.

 

[Onthe29th]

https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.me...-solitary-confinement-beatings-in-prison/amp/

This article proves the point that I've been trying to make about incarceration and mental health. We're incarcerating people for behaviors they only have because they're mentally ill. Then we traumatize them further with incarceration while also not addressing the issue that got them there in the first place. Then we release them and tell them to figure things out. I'm not defending people who commit crimes, I'm saying that if these people are going to be incarcerated and will be released, let's help make them better people when they get out, whether that be getting them medicated, finding counseling, jobs, shelter etc.