Issue of Mental Health in the Criminal Justice System

Introduction
The origin of forensic mental health care is situated in the well-established identification of the fact that the existence of mental illness might exonerate someone from being assessed as morally responsible for their actions (Barnao & Ward, 2015). This point of view was established in the McNaughton rules (1983), which gave thought to the gradual development of ideas regarding criminal responsibility and the expanding knowledge regarding mental illness disorders (Barnao & Ward, 2015). During the time of the McNaughton rules and the establishment of an insanity defense, individuals who were found criminally insane by the court were admitted to asylums instead of prisons (Barnao & Ward, 2015).

Don't use plagiarized sources. Get Your Custom Essay on
Issue of Mental Health in the Criminal Justice System
Just from $13/Page
Order Essay

Get Help With Your Essay
If you need assistance with writing your essay, our professional essay writing service is here to help!
Essay Writing Service

Forensic psychological care and treatment present important functions in the detention and rehabilitation of individuals suffering from serious mental health disorders, who may also present a risk to society. Professionals who work with forensic populations are faced with daunting challenges because the forensic population incorporates many different types of patients, some have committed violent acts, some non-violent acts, and some consist of trauma victims (Barnao & Ward, 2015). Each individual can possess an assortment of cognitive deficits and comorbidities like neurodevelopmental disorders, substance-related disorders, and personality disorders (Howner, et al., 2018). 
In these cases, the patient is also the offender and the level of risk they acquire defines what type of method of psychological and/or psychosocial interventions they will be required to participate in. The role of interventions is to re-establish an individual’s mental well-being and the goals of the forensic psychiatric care system is to rehabilitate, help one adjust to society, and lower the risk for recidivism (MacInnes & Masino, 2019; Howner, et al., 2018).  The following summarizes literature from the past five years providing information on each target population: violent offenders, non-violent offenders, and trauma victims.
Literature Review: Non-Violent Offenders
MacInnes and Masino (2019), suggests that the common psychological concerns among non-violent offenders include substance abuse disorder and mental illness disorders.  Cognitive Behavioral therapies (CBT) like dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) and acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) have been found beneficial for those suffering from substance abuse disorder (Ii, Sato, Watanabe, Kondo, Masuda, Hayes, & Akechi, 2019).
The different methods of therapy used to treat individuals with mental disorders are mostly based on research on non-offending psychiatric patients and more observation or experience is needed with the mentally disordered offenders (MDOs) populations (Barnao & Ward, 2015). For instance a standard procedure for forensic rehabilitation is the use of psychotropic medications, however, there is very little research about the effects of these psychotropic medications on MDOs (Barnao & Ward, 2015). Leaving the remaining questions about the range of the pharmacological needs of offenders differing from the needs of non-offenders with the same disorders, for instance, individuals with schizophrenia (Barnao & Ward, 2015).
Most jurisdictions use risk and/or needs assessment to help determine non-violent offender eligibility. The main model was first outlined in 1990 and taken from Andrews and Bonta’s Risk-Need-Responsivity (RNR) model of offender rehabilitation. It was created to guide those in the process of managing the risks of future violence (Barnao & Ward, 2015). The RNR approach suggests that an offender’s level of risk increases with the presence of each added risk factor and that potentially changeable factors that increase the risk of re-offending, known as dynamic factors, will reduce reoffending rates with treatment (Barnao & Ward, 2015). Researchers suggest that a mixed method using RNR principles encircling the specific needs that single out the problems of the mentally ill offenders, for example, psychotropic medications, CBT, and symptom management skills are often recommended (Barnao & Ward, 2015).
Literature Review: Violent Offenders
Care and treatment for violent offenders are often involuntary and the objective of the caregivers is complex. They not only have to rehabilitate the individual, but another concern is the person’s risk for reoffending and their potential risk they pose to society (Howner, et al., 2018). Immoral and moral actions can reference a vast array of behaviors that are viewed by traditional moral norms that are developed by human groups (Vecina, Marzana, & Paruzel-Czachura, 2015).
Experimental research using a group of men convicted of domestic violence have found a close relationship between morality and self-deception (Vecina, Marzana, & Paruzel-Czachura, 2015). It appears that self-deception, which is the viewing of one’s self in an unrealistic light, is a conciliator between moral absolutism and moral self-concept and is found in men convicted of domestic violence, but not in non-violent men (Vecina, Marzana, & Paruzel-Czachura, 2015). This is important for violent offenders because interventions are focused on the speculation that men who exhibit violence present different shortfalls and for that reason teach ways to deal with thoughts, emotions, and or control of behaviors.  Research has found that these types of interventions are usually unsuccessful and cause resistance in the men because, the men do not have deficits, they usually display an absurdly positive moral self-concept and a brawny sureness about their moral beliefs (Vecina, Marzana, & Paruzel-Czachura, 2015).  A promising new approach to intervention and prevention is understanding the men who use violence against their partners because this provides one to understand the perspective of the men convicted of domestic violence and their strong resistance to change (Vecina, Marzana, & Paruzel-Czachura, 2015).
Vecina, Marzana, and Paruzel-Czachura (2015) suggest that psychological treatment for men convicted of violence against their partner should identify the individual’s extremely high levels of self-deception concerning their personal moral perspective (Vecina, Marzana, & Paruzel-Czachura, 2015). The new focus should be on helping them enhance awareness of the point to which functional becomes dysfunctional (Vecina, Marzana, & Paruzel-Czachura, 2015).
Literature Review: Trauma Victims
There are many concerns involving veterans and veterans can suffer from invisible wounds and scars that impact their lives, families, friends, and society as a whole negatively (Koven, 2018). Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), is evidence of invisible wounds that occur during military service.  There are many negative side effects of traumatic stress and they include unemployment, homelessness, depression, divorce, drug abuse, alcoholism, mental health disorders (MDOs), and criminal activity (Koven, 2018).
Similarly to violent offenders, soldiers are at high risk of developing a pang of hunger for aggression and trauma-related disorders preventing them from succeeding in integration back into society (Hecker, Hermenau, Crombach, & Elbert, 2015). It has been reported that the experience of combatants and veterans have slowly changed their perception of violence, due to repeated experience it became acceptable and normal, and also became arousing and exciting to them, referring to violence like an addiction (Hecker, Hermenau, Crombach, & Elbert, 2015). 
Steenkamp et al. (2015), evaluated results from clinical trials of psychotherapies for PTSD in veteran and military populations, and they found that cognitive processing therapy and prolonged exposure were studied the most but are in need of improvements because the majority of PTSD patients kept their diagnosis after completion of treatment (Koven, 2018). 
 Narrative exposure therapy (NET) is a short-term, evidence-based, and culturally universal intervention for trauma victims and has proven to be successful in multiple populations like those convicted of violent acts (Hecker, Hermenau, Crombach, & Elbert, 2015). NET entails the therapist helping the client in building a chronological narrative of their entire life, placing memories into words, with the main focus being on the traumatic experiences (Hecker, Hermenau, Crombach, & Elbert, 2015). Veterans suffering from PTSD is a noteworthy issue for individuals, families, friends, and society (Koven, 2015). Similarly to the other populations, there is still more research that needs to continue in the exploration of treatment options.
References

Barnao, M., & Ward, T. (2015). Sailing uncharted seas without a compass: A review of interventions in forensic mental health. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 22, 77–86. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2015.04.009
Hecker, T., Hermenau, K., Crombach, A., & Elbert, T. (2015). Treating Traumatized Offenders and Veterans by Means of Narrative Exposure Therapy. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 6. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2015.00080
Howner, K., Andiné, P., Bertilsson, G., Hultcrantz, M., Lindström, E., Mowafi, F., … Hofvander, B. (2018). Mapping Systematic Reviews on Forensic Psychiatric Care: A Systematic Review Identifying Knowledge Gaps. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 9(452), 1–9. doi: 10.3389/fpsyt.2018.00452
Ii, T., Sato, H., Watanabe, N., Kondo, M., Masuda, A., Hayes, S. C., & Akechi, T. (2019). Psychological flexibility-based interventions versus first-line psychosocial interventions for substance use disorders: Systematic review and meta-analyses of randomized controlled trials. Journal of Contextual Behavioral Science, 13, 109–120. doi: 10.1016/j.jcbs.2019.07.003
Koven, S. (2018). Veteran Treatments: PTSD Interventions. Healthcare, 6(3), 94. doi: 10.3390/healthcare6030094
MacInnes, D., & Masino, S. (2019). Psychological and psychosocial interventions offered to forensic mental health inpatients: a systematic review. BMJ Open, 9(3). doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-024351
Vecina, M. L., Marzana, D., & Paruzel-Czachura, M. (2015). Connections between moral psychology and intimate partner violence: Can IPV be read through moral psychology? Aggression and Violent Behavior, 22, 120–127. doi: 10.1016/j.avb.2015.04.013

 

What Will You Get?

We provide professional writing services to help you score straight A’s by submitting custom written assignments that mirror your guidelines.

Premium Quality

Get result-oriented writing and never worry about grades anymore. We follow the highest quality standards to make sure that you get perfect assignments.

Experienced Writers

Our writers have experience in dealing with papers of every educational level. You can surely rely on the expertise of our qualified professionals.

On-Time Delivery

Your deadline is our threshold for success and we take it very seriously. We make sure you receive your papers before your predefined time.

24/7 Customer Support

Someone from our customer support team is always here to respond to your questions. So, hit us up if you have got any ambiguity or concern.

Complete Confidentiality

Sit back and relax while we help you out with writing your papers. We have an ultimate policy for keeping your personal and order-related details a secret.

Authentic Sources

We assure you that your document will be thoroughly checked for plagiarism and grammatical errors as we use highly authentic and licit sources.

Moneyback Guarantee

Still reluctant about placing an order? Our 100% Moneyback Guarantee backs you up on rare occasions where you aren’t satisfied with the writing.

Order Tracking

You don’t have to wait for an update for hours; you can track the progress of your order any time you want. We share the status after each step.

image

Areas of Expertise

Although you can leverage our expertise for any writing task, we have a knack for creating flawless papers for the following document types.

Areas of Expertise

Although you can leverage our expertise for any writing task, we have a knack for creating flawless papers for the following document types.

image

Trusted Partner of 9650+ Students for Writing

From brainstorming your paper's outline to perfecting its grammar, we perform every step carefully to make your paper worthy of A grade.

Preferred Writer

Hire your preferred writer anytime. Simply specify if you want your preferred expert to write your paper and we’ll make that happen.

Grammar Check Report

Get an elaborate and authentic grammar check report with your work to have the grammar goodness sealed in your document.

One Page Summary

You can purchase this feature if you want our writers to sum up your paper in the form of a concise and well-articulated summary.

Plagiarism Report

You don’t have to worry about plagiarism anymore. Get a plagiarism report to certify the uniqueness of your work.

Free Features $66FREE

  • Most Qualified Writer $10FREE
  • Plagiarism Scan Report $10FREE
  • Unlimited Revisions $08FREE
  • Paper Formatting $05FREE
  • Cover Page $05FREE
  • Referencing & Bibliography $10FREE
  • Dedicated User Area $08FREE
  • 24/7 Order Tracking $05FREE
  • Periodic Email Alerts $05FREE
image

Our Services

Join us for the best experience while seeking writing assistance in your college life. A good grade is all you need to boost up your academic excellence and we are all about it.

  • On-time Delivery
  • 24/7 Order Tracking
  • Access to Authentic Sources
Academic Writing

We create perfect papers according to the guidelines.

Professional Editing

We seamlessly edit out errors from your papers.

Thorough Proofreading

We thoroughly read your final draft to identify errors.

image

Delegate Your Challenging Writing Tasks to Experienced Professionals

Work with ultimate peace of mind because we ensure that your academic work is our responsibility and your grades are a top concern for us!

Check Out Our Sample Work

Dedication. Quality. Commitment. Punctuality

Categories
All samples
Essay (any type)
Essay (any type)
The Value of a Nursing Degree
Undergrad. (yrs 3-4)
Nursing
2
View this sample

It May Not Be Much, but It’s Honest Work!

Here is what we have achieved so far. These numbers are evidence that we go the extra mile to make your college journey successful.

0+

Happy Clients

0+

Words Written This Week

0+

Ongoing Orders

0%

Customer Satisfaction Rate
image

Process as Fine as Brewed Coffee

We have the most intuitive and minimalistic process so that you can easily place an order. Just follow a few steps to unlock success.

See How We Helped 9000+ Students Achieve Success

image

We Analyze Your Problem and Offer Customized Writing

We understand your guidelines first before delivering any writing service. You can discuss your writing needs and we will have them evaluated by our dedicated team.

  • Clear elicitation of your requirements.
  • Customized writing as per your needs.

We Mirror Your Guidelines to Deliver Quality Services

We write your papers in a standardized way. We complete your work in such a way that it turns out to be a perfect description of your guidelines.

  • Proactive analysis of your writing.
  • Active communication to understand requirements.
image
image

We Handle Your Writing Tasks to Ensure Excellent Grades

We promise you excellent grades and academic excellence that you always longed for. Our writers stay in touch with you via email.

  • Thorough research and analysis for every order.
  • Deliverance of reliable writing service to improve your grades.
Place an Order Start Chat Now
image

Order your essay today and save 30% with the discount code Happy