criminal behavior and mental illness

criminal behavior and mental illness

character

• criminals are not crazy; they're evil

health

• "not guilty by reason of insanity" verdict should be disallowed
• it is possible to be insane and guilty
• most, if not all, criminals have intense psychological problems

retribution vs. incarceration, and therapy (if it would help)

character

• criminals must be punished because
  • punishment acts as a deterrent (sp?)
  • they deserve it
  • the crimes must be avenged
• there must be retribution, vengeance for all crimes
• society - not the victim - must carry out the punishment
  • society is acting on behalf of the victim when it punishes criminals
• criminals must be imprisoned until they have been punished enough
• society incarcerates criminals to punish them, not to protect society from them (since prisons evidently do not rehabilitate criminals)

health

• punishing criminals is not appropriate; it accomplishes nothing positive
• society must be protected from the criminals
• psychology today has no effective therapy for sociopaths
• so convicted sociopaths must be monitored, if not incarcerated, for the rest of their lives

what causes a person to commit crimes?

character

• the devil makes them do it
• they are bad people and always were

health

• unhappiness, lack of health, desperation
• the way they were raised
• drugs