Capital punishment
Are all delinquents created equal? Indeed there are myriad levels of criminal activity that land offenders in jail, with a percentage of those criminlas committing their crimes under the duress of mental illness These prisoners, while deserving of severe punishment, often do not have full control of their faculties. These orphans of society are often compelled by an emotional or mental imbalance that provokes them to act savagely toward their fellow human beings. Many prisoners that are in jail have been convicted of crimes far beyond their control. Although some blame must be taken, many suffer from acute mental disorders1 It is estimated that over 38% of inmates who are now incarcerated suffer from some type of mental illness, with schizophrenia leading the list2. Schizophrenia is often misdiagnosed by those who are running evaluations on the prisoners at the time of punishment. It is often seen as "temporary insanity" by many psychologists. One might assert the fact that all these people need is treatment, not prison3. Psychiatric help is in order for these repeat assault offenders, not a lifetime behind bars where the taxpayers' money is not put to good use. By placing the criminals into long-term therapy, there i
Most often trials consist of criminals being unfairly sentenced due to conditions beyond their control7. Prosecutors do not take into account the mental conditions that many of these criminals face on a day to day basis. As a result, mental illness and conditions are never used in a court of law. There have been many cases of criminals tried unfairly due to mental disorders. One such case was involving Diego Martinez 8 Mr. Martinez had been convicted of armed robbery and was put on death row in 1985. Although he is currently awaiting a retrial, Diego suffered from what many psychiatrists refer to as schizophrenia. At the time of his conviction, he was misdiagnosed9. This led to an unlawful conviction that is still trying to be overturned today. Criminals who are mentally disable are not able to think clearly and function as a whole. They are often mislead in to believing that they are "complete" by the many doctors reports they read and by the test results they receive. This can lead many into believing that hese criminals are in fact sane when in fact they are suffering from serious mental conditions. s at least a small chance of rehabilitation that would not be present in
Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 810
Approximate Pages = 3 (250 words per page double spaced)
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