Treatment of individuals suffering from mental health issues before prosecution appears to be a very useful technique towards realizing the major cause of crime. Psychological imbalances account for more than 60% of the cases that involve sexual offenses. The individuals suffering from psychological imbalances cannot control their emotional needs, and this results in being overpowered by their sexual needs and, in exchange, committing sexual offenses. Unique attention has been established to all sex offenders, with Canada being listed as the nation with the strictest policies on related offenses. However, Phycological imbalances of sex offenders are treated as a crucial factor by Canadian prosecutors and can serve as a premise for recognizing a person as not criminally responsible.
Introduction
The rising levels of civilization have influenced the age through which people learn about matters related to human sexuality. With the rising levels of knowledge, people with psychological imbalances have greatly suffered over their knowledge due to being the most vulnerable group on offenses related to sex. Within Canadian society, sexual offenses are among the capital crimes against humanity, and the punishment for the offenses tends to exceed the expected proportionality. Globally, more than 50% of the global population suffers from psychological imbalances, mainly affecting decision-making and self-control (Michalski, 2017). Psychological imbalances such as depression which is very rampant across the globe especially post the coronavirus pandemic due to inflation, have greatly contributed to sexual offenses being committed across the globe. Depressed individuals tend to have their moods and levels of anxiety controlled by the surrounding environment, which impairs personal judgment on the impacts of their actions. Therefore, considering the psychological imbalances of individuals involved in sex offenses as a priority is very useful within the Canadian judicial system in ensuring that justice is executed based on the psychological drivers.
Psychological Imbalance and Sex Offenders: Sex Offenders Behaviors and their Relationship to Crime
Various life occurrences tend to affect the personal ability to adapt to various global changes. People tend to develop maladaptive behaviors after experiencing abrupt life changes, ill-health, or activities that trigger psychological trauma. However, in some unique cases, some maladaptive behaviors mainly occur due to behaviors and characteristics people adopted while growing up, which affects their psychological beliefs and perceptions. Avoidance has evolved among the numerous maladaptive behaviors individuals with psychological imbalances tend to suffer from. The dominance of avoidance maladaptive behavior tends to generate some form of imbalances due to procrastination. Individuals who procrastinate issues experience pressure buildup from within, and this causes massive failure due to the establishment of solutions in a hurry. Failure in exchange bleeds depression due to the inability to accept, especially for those who work under a performance contract. Most companies prefer using performance contracts to ensure that the quality of their products is not compromised. According to Rowlands et al. (2017), people who have adopted maladaptive behaviors have their decision-making process affected, resulting in the development of aggression and avoidance as a coping mechanism.
As a result, the workers tend to be derepressed due to their inability to deliver the expected outcomes, resulting in psychological imbalances. Additionally, the use and abuse of some drugs have played a major role in most individuals’ decision-making process. Some drugs tend to affect the receptors within the brain, affecting personal ability to make judgments based on morals (Michalski, 2017). Drug addicts have their judgment impaired and have through psychological visualization of issues to be normal rather than immoral. For instance, someone under the influence of alcohol tends to believe that their decision is correct despite having some impact on the social life of their close family (Rowlands et al. 2017). With such an impairment, the drug addict ends up with psychological imbalances that make them vulnerable to sexual offenses.
Moreover, the use and abuse of drugs tend to contribute to unwanted social behaviors in society. Drug abusers have antisocial personalities, making them much more vulnerable to sexual offenses. For instance, alcohol addicts have their judgment impaired, which has been the greatest cause of unwanted pregnancies among teenagers and heavy drinkers across the globe. Drunk individuals cannot control their sexual desires, which destroys their moral beliefs and practices to the point of committing sexual offenses such as rape (Michalski, 2017). As a result, drug and substance abuse is listed among the major contributors to sexual offenses and maladaptive behaviors that cause vulnerability to sexual offenses.
Treatment of Criminals with Mental Health Issues
Analyzing the major cause of vulnerability to crime is instrumental in establishing a long-lasting solution that helps lower the occurrence of crime. The Canadian criminal justice system has mainly established policies that help protect suspects and offenders who are proven to have psychological imbalances that may contribute to vulnerability to sexual offenses. Moulden and Marshall (2017) state that 30% of the female offenders have experienced some psychiatric issues, and 14% of the male offenders. The statical analogy established by great scholars like Moulden and Marshall is sufficient proof that the rate of committing a crime is generally proportional to the psychological stability of the offender. The offenders of other crimes serving various jail terms have been proven to have undergone some psychological treatment.
The level crime rate appears to be directly proportional to the levels of psychological imbalances in the society. Marshall and Moulden further revealed that the number of psychiatric patients within the prisons is higher than those receiving treatment within various hospitals. According to Moulden and Marshall (2017), the number of patients with psychiatric issues within prisons in Canada is three times more than the number of psychiatric patients within hospitals. Additionally, the prisons in Canada are much populated with individuals who have committed sexual offenses as opposed to criminals guilty of other offenses. According to Moulden and Marshall (2017), psychological imbalances are the major cause of the increased number of inmates with sexual offenses within Canadian prisons. Therefore, psychological imbalance plays a major role in raising the rates of sexually related crimes within Canada.
Factors Determining Sex Offender Treatment in Canada
To ensure crime deterrence, prosecuting individuals who have committed sexual offenses must be conducted carefully. The prosecution is primarily conducted to ensure that the punishment rendered to the offender is proportional to the crime committed and that there is crime deterrence. It is believed that persecuting guilty individuals over their offenses plays a major role in ensuring there is sanity in society by instilling fear. However, people with psychological issues should undergo treatment before being persecuted to prevent the current psychological issue from scaling into other irreversible levels. Numerous amendments have been established in most nations that help protect the offenders if there is proof of psychological imbalances that may have caused the vulnerability. According to Lacroix et al. (2017), any criminal proven to have psychological imbalances is not treated guilty as charged, and the immediate focus is the offender’s treatment.
The mental diagnosis helps ascertain the psychological stability and its influence on committing the crime. The criminal code of Canada tends to protect individuals with mental health issues by ensuring that they can receive treatment and care to prevent an occurrence of sexual crime that may affect the entire society. According to Michalski (2017), individuals who, upon medical diagnosis, are examined with any psychological imbalances after committing sexual offenses in Canada are not charged with the offense. Still, they are rather allowed to undergo treatment. However, the treatment process is conducted under surveillance to ensure they are not vulnerable to other crimes of passion or emotions. Having the movement of the offenders regulated plays a useful role in analyzing the probability of attaining stability and lowering the frequency of crimes. Nevertheless, some individuals perceive that the offenders of sexual crimes diagnosed with psychological imbalance are much favored as opposed to the other offenders. In reality, the offenders are not favored; rather, they have their psychological needs established as a priority to ensure that the causes of crime are treated and prevent the re-occurrence of the crime.
The offenders are also assimilated back into society, but they must be monitored and treated. Assimilating the offenders back into Canadian society also ensures that the offenders are not listed in registries. The exemption of the offenders from the registries tends to favor some individuals, which may support criminality based on psychological imbalances (Michalski, 2017). The registries commonly used within the Canadian society are mainly utilized to ascertain the personal behaviors and conducts of the Canadians. However, sexual offenders with psychological imbalances are exempted from the list, which offers them an opportunity to reform during treatment. However, some unique individuals may take advantage of the exemption and embark on committing a crime (Lacroix et al. 2017). Therefore, the criminal justice system mainly ensures medication administration and monitoring of the movement of individuals. Monitoring the criminals with psychological imbalances helps to ascertain that they are prevented from any situation that may trigger their thoughts and render them vulnerable to sexual offenses. Therefore, people with psychological imbalances have an excellent opportunity to evade prison due to the policies and laws that protect them from the registry list.
Conclusion
Considering the psychological stability of the suspects is a very useful skill towards ensuring that the prosecution is based on the level of know-how of the impacts of the crime committed. Therefore, the psychological imbalance should be prioritized in establishing an individual’s level of innocence. However, some individuals with psychological imbalances are still treated guilty as charged and end up in prison, causing a surge in the psychiatric patients within the prisons. It is worth noting that the rising number of inmates with psychological imbalances is directly linked to the lack of specific medication or treatment. Psychological issues vary on the cause and the most appropriate treatment method, which delays most patients’ recovery, hence the surge. As a result, psychological imbalances are a major concern within Canada, causing vulnerability to sexually related crimes.
References
Lacroix, R., O’Shaughnessy, R., McNiel, D. E., & Binder, R. L. (2017). Controversies concerning the Canadian not criminally responsible reform act. J Am Acad Psychiatry Law, 45(8), 3-4.
Michalski, J. H. (2017). Mental health issues and the Canadian criminal justice system.Contemporary Justice Review, 20(1), 2-25.
Moulden, H. M., & Marshall, L. E. (2017). Major mental illness in those who sexually abuse. Current Psychiatry Reports, 19(12), 1-7.
Rowlands, M. T., Palk, G., & Young, R. M. (2017). Psychological and legal aspects of dangerous sex offenders: A review of the literature. Psychiatry, Psychology and Law, 24(6), 812-824.