Law - Capstone I

Researcher:

Ronald S. Dixon

Date:

 July 07, 2018 

Thesis Topic:

Relationship between Mental Illness and Violent Crime

Abstract

Background & Statement of Problem:

This is an overview of the whole research project. Describe your study and how you plan to do it.

Since the 1890s the number of people who are mentally ill in prisons and other correctional facilities has been substantially increasing. The trend has become more pervasive that currently more individuals with mental diseases are behind bars that they are in mental hospitals and other mental health centers. Thus, there is need to establish the reason behind this phenomenon. The trend is a reflection of a greater degree of criminality among people with mental illnesses relative to the general population. This study is designed to establish the whether there is a relationship between mental illness and violent crimes to explain the trend of growing number of mentally ill individuals in prisons. The study will focus on in investigating crime among mentally ill and risk of violent crimes among the mentally ill.

Primary Research Question and Additional Questions:

1. What is the relationship between mental illness and violent crime?

2. How does having a mental illness increases one’s risk of committing a violent crime?

3. What is the rate of recidivism among mentally ill who are offenders of violent crime ?

Objectives of the Study:

The objective of the study is to carry out a qualitative study to establish whether there is a relationship between mental illness and violent crime so as to explain the phenomenon of the increasing trend of mentally ill people in prisons. As well the study would establish if having a mental illness increasing one’s risk of committing a violent crime. The study will also focus on the cases of recidivism among the mentally ill offenders.  

Importance of the Study:

The importance of this study is to establish the relationship between mental illness and violent crime so as to explain the growing trend of increasing mentally ill convicts in prisons.

Topics of the Literature to be Reviewed:

Definition of mental illness and violent crimes

Mental illness in criminal population

Criminality in psychiatric populations

Risk of various mental illness to crime

Recidivism among mentally ill convicts

Limitation of the Study:

The limitation of the study includes availability of comprehensive data on mental illness in criminal population, criminality in psychiatric populations and recidivism among mentally ill convicts. Another limitation is inadequate resources including time and financial resources to comprehensively cover a large sample population in the study. 

Proposed Methodology

The study will employ both qualitative and quantitative research design for data collection. Secondary data will be obtained from systemic review articles from officials in selected prisons and mental health centers. Upon completion of data collection, the data will be analyzed using SPSS statistical software and presented in charts and graphs.

Data Collection:

Data collection techniques will entail systemic review articles for qualitative and quantitative data obtained from the records in the selected prisons and mental health centers for the study.

Data Analysis/Conclusions:

The study will analyses the data from the systemic review articles from the records in the selected prisons and mental health centers. Data will be analyzed and presented according to the research questions of the study. Data will be collected on mental illness and violent crime, risk of mental illness to violent crime, and recidivism rate among mentally ill convicts.

Upon completion of this study, the findings of the study will help inform the relationship between mental illness and violent crime and thus explain the increasing people who are mentally ill in prisons. As well, through the findings of the study, mental health centers can establish measures to reduce the risk of mental illness to violent crime.

Title:

Relationship between mental illness and violent crime