Crime, Mental Disorders, and Violence

Mental Illness

A disorder of the mind interfering substantially with daily coping, implying a medical model.

Intellectual Disability

A cognitive deficiency that cannot be cured.

Myth 1 of Mental Illness and Crime

Committing a gruesome crime requires mental illness.

Myth 2 of Mental Illness and Crime

Crime scene details alone can prove assailant was mentally ill.

Myth 3 of Mental Illness and Crime

Mentally ill persons frequently commit violent crimes.

Strangers and Mental Illness

Assaulting strangers are overwhelmingly likely to NOT be mentally ill.

Substance Abuse and Violence

Comorbid substance abuse significantly increases violent crime likelihood.

The DSM

The American Psychiatric Association guidebook for defining and diagnosing mental disorders.

Schizophrenia Positive Symptoms

Includes delusions, hallucinations, disorganized thinking, and abnormal motor behavior.

Bipolar Disorder Manic Phase

Involves euphoria, hyperactivity, distractibility, and reckless behavior.

Major Depressive Disorder Suicide Risk

Riskiest time for suicide is when patients start feeling better and gain energy.

Antisocial Personality Disorder

Continuous behavior violating others' rights; explicitly ruled out of insanity defense.

Dusky Standard

Requires rational and factual understanding of proceedings and ability to participate in defense.

M'Naghten Rule

Defines insanity as not knowing the nature of the act or that it was wrong.

ALI Rule

Requires lacking substantial capacity to appreciate criminality or conform conduct to the law.

IDRA (Insanity Defense Reform Act)

Abolished the volitional prong and placed burden of proof on the defense.

Guilty but Mentally Ill (GBMI)

Holds defendant blameworthy, expecting standard incarceration plus mental health treatment.

Cap Gras Delusion

Belief that family members are imposters and real ones were killed.

Mental Health Courts

Specialized courts using judges and social workers to divert offenders into treatment.

PTSD and Aggression

Hyperarousal and flashbacks can lead to aggression against partners mistaken for enemies.

Criminal Homicide

Causing another's death without legal justification or excuse.

Murder vs Manslaughter

Murder requires malice aforethought, whereas manslaughter occurs in its absence.

Aggravated Assault vs Homicide

Survival of assault often depends on weapon type and medical care quality.

IPV with Coercive Control

Involves ongoing behavioral monitoring, social isolation, and physical/psychological abuse patterns.

Violence Against Women Act (VAWA)

Established Office on Violence against Women to strengthen prosecution and fund shelters.

Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy

Medical child abuse where parents falsify or induce medical symptoms in a child.

Dissociation and Cycle of Violence

Dissociation acts as a mechanism transmitting abuse across generations.

Geographical Profiling

A computer-assisted technique to locate a serial offender's base of operations.

Rossmo's Four Hunting Patterns

Hunter, poacher, troller, and trapper.

Serial Murder

Multiple murders with a cooling-off period between incidents.

Spree Murder

Multiple murders at two or more locations with no cooling-off period.

Mass Murder

Multiple murders at a single location with no cooling-off period.

Fox and Levin's Mass Murder Typology

Categories include revenge, power, loyalty, profit, and terror.

School Shooters Characteristics

Typically white, male offenders with easy gun access and peer rejection.

Workplace Violence Perpetrator

Often a disgruntled, mistreated, or fired employee lacking social support.