Mental Health and Crime

I have a friend who has been arrested during manic episodes of poorly-treated bipolar disorder. The March 30, 2023 US National Library of Medicine article Psychiatric Illness and Criminality by Noman Ghiasi, Yusra Azhar and Jasbir Singh does an OUTSTANDING job summarizing this complex topic.

According to the April 7, 2014 Psychological Medicine article A meta-analysis of the prevalence of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in incarcerated populations by S. Young, D. Moss, O. Sedgwick, M. Fridman and P. Hodgkins, a minimum of 25% of the people in jail AROUND THE WORLD have ADHD.

What if we embed mental health professionals in every police department, every court and every jail in the country? What if we assume that exposure to crime, whether as a survivor or perpetrator, has a basis in mental health challenges? What if we have a universal health care system which treats brain-based illnesses on par with other illnesses? What if we acknowledge that almost any illness can create mental challenges, if a medicine doesn’t work, or pain is involved, or fear? What if we provide tailored education to creative, talented, loving, playful children who don’t fit the miserable “teach them to be good soldiers” Prussian model that is the current foundation to most American systems – I won’t point to articles about the subject, there are too many to choose from – so they can grow into healthy, happy adults in control of their sometimes-overwhelming emotions and impulsivity?

To prep for this post, I’ve watched dozens of police body cam videos. I’ve heard listed, by victims and perpetrators, “bi-polar disorder, fragile x syndrome, PTSD, sexual assault, sexual abuse, ADHD, dyslexia, addiction” and I’ve lost count of what else as contributing factors in their behaviors. No, I am NOT excusing a refusal to take responsibility, or cruelty or violence. Criminal actions can require punishment. But what about rehabilitation? What about prevention? How much richer, in every sense of that word, would our world be if we gave much less of a damn about punition and much more of a damn about understanding?

Why I am writing this? Why is a Professional Organizer screaming from this soapbox? I am talking about my clients, my colleagues, my friends and my extended family.

I’M ANGRY.