An Argument For Exempting the Severely Mentally Ill from...

Mental illness affects one in four adults every year (NAMI: National Alliance on Mental Illness | Mental Illnesses). Mental illness effects thousands who may not even be aware of it. Many who are aware do not receive treatment until something bad happens in result of not receiving treatment. These illnesses affect all aspects of the person’s life. They often do things without the knowledge of what they are doing. Many people who do have these illness commit crimes without the knowledge of the fact that they are doing wrong. People often do not believe that having a mental illness gives people the right to commit a crime, and it doesn’t. It merely suggests that the person who committed said crime was not aware of their actions therefore†¦show more content†¦Around 77.3% percent of people treated for mental illness had effective results (Kobau and Zack). Minor cases of mental illness tend to recover much more rapidly. Cases of serve mental illness still recover i t just takes a long amount of time and more extensive therapy. Whenever going through these treatments the person needs a good support foundation from their family and friends in order to encourage them know that things will get better if they get treatment. Many people plead insanity in criminal trials because they refuse to take responsibility for their actions. This leaves the people who do have mental illnesses in a â€Å"boy who cried wolf† situation. The people who do suffer mental illnesses end up suffering even more because of their actions instead of getting the treatments they need in order to become normal members of society. All defendants who plead insanity must take a reality test to check whether they are aware of the separation between reality and their imagination. If they pass then they will be deemed mental sane and still must stand trial (Valkin). Kendra Webdale was a victim to a mentally ill episode, when one morning she was pushed in front a subway by An drew Goldstein, a known schizophrenic. The family first believed that it was a mugging gone wrong but then learned of Goldstein’s illness. Her mother Pat was interviewedShow MoreRelatedAbolition Of The Death Penalty1826 Words   |  8 PagesAbolition of the Death Penalty Capital Punishment, otherwise known as the death penalty, first dates back to the English Colonies in the 1600s. The people of this time adopted this tradition to punish people who had committed crimes of murder, treason, theft, robbery, rape, or other horrible offenses. In 1776, people already began to see the inefficiency of the death penalty. Benjamin Rush, a physician and signer of the Declaration of Independence, stated that â€Å"the punishment of murder by death is contrary