Illness In Jails

According to NAMI (National Alliance on Mental Illness) a mental illness is a “condition that impacts a person's thinking, feeling or mood and may affect his or her ability to relate to others and function on a daily basis. Each person will have different experiences, even people with the same diagnosis. There is treatment for mental illness and with healthy social, work, or school relationships they have a strong chance at recovery.” Over the years the has been a lot of controversy about whether or not individuals whom are suffering from a mental illness or disorder should be executed. There has been controversy because individuals believe that the mental ill lack the capacity to understand there crimes or consequences when suffering from a mental illness or mental breakdown. They suggest that because they lack the mental capacity to understand prisons shouldn't reserve the right to execute them if they can't

Although insanity was not defined, a person must be aware of the punishment they are about to suffer and they must understand why they are going to suffer it.” In 1974 there was man named Ford convicted of murder in Florida sentenced to death. It wasn't until years later in 1982 that he began to show changes in his behavior suggesting that he was suffering from a mental illness. Ford was appointed a panel of psychiatrist to evaluate his mental capacity. It was found that Ford was sane and there was death warrant issued for his execution. Because Ford was found sane he was then to be executed because he understood his crime and what he would suffer from execution. Today they argue Ford didn't receive the proper evaluations for his mentally defense and Ford case now sets president in many cases containing crimes committed by those suffering from of mental