Degree Name
Master of Science
Department or Program
Psychology
Advisor
Morgan, Robert D.
Abstract
The undeniable overrepresentation of individuals with serious mental illness in the criminal justice system is a complex matter. Despite persistent assumptions that mental illness is the source of criminal behavior, research has continued to find a weak relationship between mental illness and criminal behavior. As a result, researchers have contended that the seeming link between mental illness and violence is misleading and distracts from the presence of other factors (such as criminogenic risk) that have an established relationship to criminal behavior. The current review of literature will investigate serious mental illness among justice-involved persons, touching on the historical context, theorized explanations, and treatment programs. . A greater understanding of this relationship may have significant treatment implications for justice-involved persons with serious mental illness.