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Twice-Cursed? The Mentally Disordered Criminal Defendant

NCJ Number
108065
Journal
Criminal Justice and Behavior Volume: 14 Issue: 3 Dated: (September 1987) Pages: 251-267
Author(s)
E Hochstedler
Date Published
1987
Length
17 pages
Annotation
A comparison of individual-level data on 379 cases involving mentally disordered defendants with aggregate data on criminal sanctions for all defendants in a single jurisdiction provides the basis for a tentative conclusion that mentally disordered defendants may well be 'twice-cursed.'
Abstract
The research findings indicate that compared to the general population of defendants, mentally disordered defendants receive more severe criminal sanctions and are often subjected to both punishment and mental health treatment ordered on the authority of the criminal court. (Publisher abstract)