Twice-Cursed?

Abstract

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.” The research findings indicate that compared to the general population of defendenats, 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.