Does having a personality disorder guarantee criminal actions?

Does having a personality disorder guarantee criminal actions?

Introduction

Crime, and particularly crime causation, is one of the principal focal points for empirical research within the area of the criminal justice system. Indeed, researchers and scholars have continuously come up with compelling theories about the causes of crime. Among other theories, research shows an inherent relationship between forensic mental health, personality disorders, and crime. This paper evaluates the current research body, which has sought to elucidate this relationship. The sources sought include journal articles, books, relevant web pages, and official publications. The report will review these articles based on a set of themes. These will include the background of personality disorder and forensic mental health, the relationship between personality disorder and criminal actions, and the link between forensic mental health and crime. This paper takes the standpoint that having a personality disorder often predicts the occurrence of criminal actions, but with careful planning, forensic mental health may help to disrupt this link.

Background on personality disorders and forensic mental health

Personality disorders

In his research paper, Rizeanu (2015) describes personality disorders as a class of mental disorders attributed to long-lasting rigid thought and behavior patterns, which lead to severe problems with work and relationships. APA (2000) identifies personality disorder as a continuing innermost involvement and behavioral pattern that have marked differences with the aspired expectations of the person’s culture. Additionally, APA (2000) confers that a personality disorder is not only pervasive but also inflexible with the onset often in early adulthood or adolescence. What is more, APA (2000) supposes that personality disorders are usually stable over time, and tends to cause impairment or distress. Adding to this, the Australian Government (2016) holds out that personality disorders, the distress associated with a personality disorder is not limited to oneself. Rather, the distress might also be exhibited to others.

Other than the definition of personality disorder, researchers and scholars have also sought to define the prevalence of temperaments. One of the most prominent studies in this regard is that by Dale et al. (2017). The researchers revealed that personality disorder is a severe mental health condition that affects the utmost 52 percent of the psychiatric out-patients. The disorder also affects 70 percent of in-patients and forensic patients (Dale et al., 2017). Gov.UK (2019) published more recent statistics about the extent of personality disorder in the United Kingdom. It was revealed that personality disorders are highly prevalent among the members of the Asian community, with 17.3 percent of the aggregate population having this disorder (Gov.UK, 2019). The blacks (17.0%), mixed other (16.7%), white British (13.9%), and white other (14.2%) are also affected by the disorders.

The other category of research has focused on the various personality disorder clusters. Accordingly, Esterberg, Goulding, and Walker (2010) discussed Cluster A PDs (personality disorders). According to the researchers, these disorders include schizotypal, schizoid, and paranoid PDs. Hoermann, Zupanick, and Dombeck (2020a) hold out that disorders in this cluster are termed as odd and eccentric. The most apparent manifestations of these disorders include social inelegance and social withdrawal, not mentioning a distorted form of thinking. Additionally, Cluster B PDs are usually referred to as emotional, melodramatic, and fallible disorders. They include borderline, narcissistic, histrionic, not mentioning antisocial personality disorders. Hoermann, Zupanick, and Dombeck (2020b) claim that these disorders often manifest problems with emotion regulation and impulse control. Hoermann, Zupanick, and Dombeck (2020c) reveal that Cluster C personality disorders are considered both anxious and fearful. The constituents of this category include reliant on, avoidant, and obsessive or compulsive personality disorders. Hoermann, Zupanick, and Dombeck (2020c) identify that these personality disorders share a significant anxiety level.

Forensic mental health

According to the National Health Service (2020), forensic mental health, also referred to as forensic psychiatry, refers to a specialized psychiatry branch that often deals with not only assessment but also intervention for offenders with mental disorders in secure hospitals, prisons, and communities. A report by the Government of South Australia (2012) highlighted that forensic mental health offers a set of services, part of which entail rehabilitation, inpatient acute and ongoing care, mental health services within the community, and mental health services within custodial environments. Furthermore, the JCPMH (2013) revealed that forensic mental health services are usually offered to people with mental disorders, those who pose or have previously shown to pose risks to others, and where such risk is closely connected to their psychological disorder.

The JCPMH (2013) holds out that services offered by forensic mental health are attributed to low volume besides high cost. In their research study, Rutherford and Duggan (2008) provided critical statistics concerning the delivery of forensic mental health services in the United Kingdom. The researchers revealed that there are at least 3,500 individuals in high and medium secure health facilities. These people, according to Rutherford and Duggan (2008), have been directed to these institutions by the prison system or courts. Additionally, Rutherford and Duggan (2008) highlight that nearly 1,000 new admissions are often received on an annual basis.

The relationship between personality disorder and crime

Another research category has emphasized the relationship between disorders in personality attributes and criminal behaviors. Scholars and researchers seem to agree that people with personality disorders characterized by Cluster A are more likely to commit violent crimes and homicides. Apostolopoulos et al. (2018) demonstrated that the odds ratio of people with Cluster A personality disorders was 2.86 higher than individuals with other PDs associated with the other clusters. These findings were based on a sample of 308 male prisoners, who had been incarcerated in two prisoners in Greece, one in a rural region while the other was in an urban area. The findings by Apostolopoulos et al. (2018) were confirmed in the study performed by Davison and Janca (2012). The researchers found out that paranoid personality disorder, which is part of Cluster A, was associated with robbery, but not with minor offenses such as driving crimes. Besides, Davison and Janca (2012) established that schizotypal personality disorder was substantially associated with arson, while schizoid PD was associated with kidnapping, theft, and burglary. Further confirming these findings is the study by Mansouri et al. (2019). According to the researchers, Cluster A disorders are more common among people more susceptible to violent behavior.

Research has also investigated the link between Cluster B disorders and criminal behavior. Among the most prominent studies in this regard is that by Gonzalez et al. (2018). Gonzalez et al. (2018) showed that personality disorder Cluster B symptoms are often prevalent among men who usually engage in partner violence. Another study by Fischer and Marino (2019) shows that people with Cluster B personality disorders, which include borderline personality disorder, are often attributed to significant levels of antagonism, which refers to active opposition or hostility. Supporting this finding, Zimmerman and Groves (2010) express that Cluster B personality disorders usually cause a person to exhibit extreme anger and aggression.

Mansouri et al. (2019), however, presented an interesting finding. According to the researcher, people with Cluster A and B personality disorders often exhibit antisocial behaviors, which are often more severe than those exhibited by Cluster C PD patients. Nevertheless, Mansouri et al. (2019) denote that Cluster B PDs people will engage in these crimes more frequently than their counterparts with Cluster A disorders. A historical researcher performed by Short et al. (1994) in 1994 in the UK had indeed reported this finding by claiming that people with Custer B disorders, relative to those with other PDs, show an elevated level of criminal behavior risk.

Other studies show that people having disorders categorized under Cluster B are more prone to reoffending. Rosenfeld (203) holds out that the strongest predictor of recidivism includes personality disorders within the Cluster B category, including narcissist, antisocial, and borderline problems. Similarly, Walter, Wiesbeck, Dittmann, and Graf (2011) demonstrated that people with Cluster B personality disorders are more likely to engage in reoffending, with the subsequent crimes often taking a violent nature.

Short et al. (2012) show that people with Cluster C PDs are not likely to engage in violent criminal behaviors. Adding to this, Laajasalo et al. (2013) illustrate that people with disorders classified under these categories often have meaningfully briefer criminal pasts when compared to their counterparts. Besides, the researchers identified that even though Cluster C PD offender-victim relationship does not differ with that of the other groups, these criminals are more likely to show a sense of remorse for their actions. As if confirming these results, Roberts and Coid (2008) document that in England and Wales, an offender with Cluster C personality disorders are highly likely to confess about being “sorry” to their victims for the pain and suffering they put them through.

The relationship between forensic mental health and crime

Matcheswalla and De Sousa (2015), insofar forensic mental health, are usually set in place to address the link between personality disorder and crime; there are cases where patients put under these services have committed criminal offenses. Anckarsäter et al. (2009) seem to confirm this finding. Accordingly, the researchers show that forensic mental health services might attract disproportionate attention, especially when it comes to the explanations of behaviors, which people often see as distancing themselves from (Anckarsäter et al., 2009). What this means, therefore, loopholes in the forensic mental health services, causes inefficiencies in breaking the link between personality disorder and crime.

Despite the finding above, other researchers have documented forensic mental health as a model for rehabilitating the prisoners. A good example of such research is that of Ozkan, Belhan, Yaran, and Zarif (2018). The researchers claim that forensic mental health settings often include high secure units, low secure units, medium secure units, acute/psychiatric mental health units, forensic hostel, community, a special hospital, and a high-security section of forensic care facility. Other constituents, as documented by Ozkan, Belhan, Yaran, and Zarif (2018), include an acute unit of a forensic healthcare agency, consultation position in the community sector, extended forensic safe care, and tertiary mental health facility. Ozkan, Belhan, Yaran, and Zarif (2018) relay that with all these units, it follows that the forensic mental health is more likely to provide a holistic and accurate therapeutic, rehabilitative intervention to a prisoner. Besides, the researchers claim that the extensive nature of forensic mental health increases the chances of massive inmate participation in psychiatry care.

Another study by Brown et al. (2015) was performed to elucidate the role of forensic mental health in the criminal justice sphere. It was revealed that the forensic mental health domain is usually set up to offer support and services to everyone involved in the legal and criminal justice systems by way of probation, civil commitment, or engagement with a problem-solving court (Brown et al., 2015). The forensic mental health is supposed to come up with a personalized plan to assist these individuals in developing skills necessary for them to attain specific goals and objectives related to interpersonal relationships, career and development, and adaptive activities and functioning in daily life (Brown et al., 2015). Furthermore, Brown et al. (2015) identify that the forensic mental health is responsible for assisting people alleged to have engaged in criminal behaviors to locate the necessary resources besides teaching them skills to mitigate the level of mental health-related symptoms (Brown et al., 2015). These services should also offer the delinquents with support during times of stress.

Conclusion

This paper has reviewed the current body of literature concerning the relationship between personality disorders, forensic mental health, and crime. The review has shown that personality disorders come in different types, often classified under Cluster A, B, and C. Besides, the report has shown that people with Cluster A and B PDs are more likely to commit serious crimes. However, those with Cluster B PDs engage in crimes more frequently and are at risk of recidivism. Additionally, this paper has shown that people with Cluster C PDs often engage in less severe crimes and tend to show remorse for their crimes. Moreover, research shows that forensic mental health is adequate in breaking the link between personality disorders and criminal behaviors. While this is the case, this paper has shown that if there are loopholes in the way forensic mental health is administered, then it will only lead to pronounced criminal behaviors as opposed to curbing such tendencies.

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