The nature of this topic is schizophrenia and crime and how the mental illness is .
"From the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, it is described .
as an illness that is characterized by psychotic symptoms and significant interpersonal or .
occupational dysfunction that persist for a period of at least six months. The term .
psychotic refers to symptoms that indicate an impairment in the patient's ability to .
comprehend reality. This includes beliefs that have no basis in reality and that are not .
susceptible to corrective feedback [delusions], and sensory perceptions that have no .
identifiable external; source. [hallucinations]. ".
This is an extremely important topic because people with mental disorders should .
be treated differently from normal criminals. This is because a mental illness has an .
adverse effect on the brain and often cause the person to loose some touch with reality, .
resulting in clouded judgment. If a person's judgment of what society believes is "right .
and wrong" becomes deluded by an unstable mental clarity, then they may commit a .
crime without the full knowledge that what he or she is doing is wrong. Therefore .
punishing the offender like a regular criminal will not help them because the standard .
rehabilitation process will not work. Instead proper medical help needs to be .
administered to the offender, so their disorder can be treated, insuring they become clear .
of acceptable behavior and can be an asset to society.
The importance of finding out if a criminal has a mental disorder, like .
schizophrenia is extremely important. So much so that all offenders of the law are subject .
to psychological examination and review by a psychologist to ascertain their mental .
health. .
Society has become very much aware that mental disorders need to be treated in .
criminals if their rehabilitation is to be successfully and they can be released into society .
to live a "normal life".