Biological Criminal Behavior

Biological Criminal Behavior

Christie Mendolia

CJS/231 - Criminology

Corry Powers

November 7, 2016

Biological Criminal Behavior

When people look at the definition of psychopathy, they might see mental illness or disorder. But what does that mean really? There are so many different classifications of a mental disorders. To name a couple there is Dementia, Autism, Schizophrenia, Anxiety Disorder, PTSD (Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder), Bipolar Disorder and so many more.  With all of these different disorders in the world, it is very easy for a criminal to try to claim that they have something wrong with them in order to get a reduced sentence for the crime that they have committed. Is the Mental Illness defense being over-utilized, or are some of these criminals truly sick? What possible measures could have been taken before hand to identify a true mental illness, so that it does not escalate to them committing a crime, and thus, better protecting the general public?

When examining the case of Andrea Yates, the 42-year-old woman who drowned her 5 children in the family bathtub in 2001, while she was sentenced to life in prison in 2002, she was acquitted in 2006 by a jury that found that she was mentally ill. "She needs help," the jury foreman said at a post-verdict press briefing. "Although she's being treated, I think she's worse than she was before. I think she'll probably need treatment for the rest for her life." (CNN, 2007)

Andrea Yates reportedly called police, and calmly told them on the phone that she had “killed her kids”. Her best friend stated during the trial that “Andrea was a very sweet friend and a loving mother, but that something happened after the birth of her fourth son.” It seemed that she “turned into a zombie”, and that she “couldn’t even finish a sentence.” During the trial, testimony revealed that Andrea had actually had a long history of mental illness, she had attempted suicide twice before, and been hospitalized for psychiatric care, as well as being diagnosed with Postpartum Depression. Testimony also revealed, that when she was 17, Yates had also discussed suicide with her friends. Even after going through all of that growing up though, she went to nursing school and was a registered nurse at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, TX.  

When Andrea had talked with Dr. Phillip Resnick, she told him that she believed that “Satan had taken over her body and soul”, and she believed that he was eyeing her children next. Yates told Resnick, as well as others who evaluated her in the weeks after her arrest that she believed, if she killed her children while they were still innocent, they would be sent to heaven and she would have defeated Satan. (CNN, 2007)

Charles Manson is another criminal that had some mental issues going on. He was described by probation reports as suffering from a "marked degree of rejection, instability and psychic trauma" and "constantly striving for status and securing some kind of love." Other descriptions included "unpredictable" and "safe only under supervision." (Biography, n.d.)

Manson was born to a young mother, Kathleen Maddox, who happened to be an alcoholic prostitute. After her marriage to William Manson ended very abruptly, Charles was placed into a boy’s home. Charles left that home and went back to his mother, where he was informed that she wanted nothing to do with him. At this point, he started living on the streets, and getting by while committing petty crimes. Manson spent a large amount of time in and out of prison, and received a large amount of education in the subject matter of being a “model prisoner”. In many ways, Manson reflects personality traits and obsessions that are associated with gurus of cult-quasi-religious groups that began to emerge in the 1960s and are still with us today. He was pathologically deluded into believing that he was harbinger of doom regarding the planet's future, in much the same way that cult and evangelist figures today claim prophetic knowledge of the world's end. (Biography, n.d.) From 1958, Charles had been in and out of jail for various crimes such as: pimping, and writing stolen checks. While he was in prison in Washington state, Manson reportedly raped another mail prisoner while brandishing a razor blade.