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Mental Illness and Criminal Behavior Revisited

Medical College of Wisconsin, Marquette University, Forensic Unit, Milwaukee County Mental Health Complex, 925 East Wells Street, #316, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53202, U.S.A.

Edward J. Gumz

University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, 5789 Glen Haven Drive, Greendale, Wisconsin 53129, U.S.A.

Frank J. Liska

Milwaukee County Court House, 901 N. 9th Street, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53233, U.S.A.

The authors review some statistical studies regarding the relationships between mental illness and criminal behavior prior to, and following, the deinstitutionalization period. This review supports the common opinion that since deinstitutionalization the jails of the United States house great numbers of the mentally ill. Even though mental illness, per se, is not synonymous with violence-prone behavior, the percentage of mentally ill in the jails is growing. Their offenses usually consist of misdemeanors, prompted by impulsivity and lacking both calculation and deviation. Chronic schizophrenics are highly represented among present day jail inmates, together with defendants suffering from antisocial personality disorder with polysubstance abuse or cocaine intoxication. The authors argue that a moral community, providing better social integration and stronger bonds among people will put a stop to this cyclical return of the past: the plight of the mentally ill and society's misdirected efforts and aims.

International Journal of Offender Therapy and Comparative Criminology, Vol. 36, No. 1, 53-61 (1992)
DOI: 10.1177/0306624X9203600106


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