A study of correlations between symptoms and criminal activity in 143 criminal offenders with “mental illness,” published in Law and Human Behavior, finds that “distinguishing between symptoms that are specific to major mental disorder and features that may be found among offenders without mental illness can be difficult . . . Our findings also question the current policy focus on control- ling symptoms as a means toward recidivism reduction.”
Peterson, J., Skeem, J., Kennealy, P., Bray, B., and Zvonkovich, A.; How Often and How Consistently do Symptoms Directly Precede Criminal Behavior Among Offenders With Mental illness? Law and Human Behavior. Online April 15, 2014 DOI: 10.1037/lhb0000075
See also:
Mental illness not a crime; why treat it that way? (Boston Globe)
No Significant Connection Found Between Mental Illness And Crime (Red Orbit)
Mental illness not a driving force behind crime (WECT)