Conclusion
Schizophrenia is a calamitous mental illness that is linked to increased criminality. This link is best understood by looking at its characteristics and etiology, which show schizophrenia to be a challenging and complex mental illness This complexity leads to much misinformation and misunderstanding on the part of the public and our law enforcement professionals. Schizophrenia’s interaction with the criminal justice system is excessive and is often fruitless to the never-ending pursuit of peace in our communities. It seems that the best course of action is for our criminal justice system to advocate for and implement public services that reduce its future involvement in the affairs of mental illness. In this way, the criminal justice system is best able to serve the community while also ensuring proper treatment of those with schizophrenia.
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