The Role of Mental Health in Criminal Trials
- aarattrika chanda
- Dec 17, 2024
- 3 min read
By Disha Balpande
One crucial area that needs immediate attention and legislative reform is the relationship between mental health and criminal proceedings. Since mental health issues have a direct bearing on how much an accused person is held accountable for their conduct, they are crucial to ensuring that justice is administered in a fair and equitable manner. The complexity of mental health is frequently ignored by the current legal system, which can result in decisions that don't accurately represent the accused's mental condition at the time of the offense.
An individual's criminal liability is largely determined by their mental health throughout criminal proceedings. Understanding how mental health conditions might affect a person's ability to create intent or grasp the consequences of their acts requires an understanding of legal concepts like diminished capacity and the insanity defense. Existing laws, such the Mental Healthcare Act of 2017 and Section 84 of the Indian Penal Code, offer frameworks for addressing these problems, but they also highlight significant gaps and restrictions in the ability to successfully integrate mental health considerations into criminal cases.
Understanding mens rea, or the guilty mind, which is frequently hampered by mental health issues, is essential to determining criminal liability. Additionally, determining if an accused person is fit to stand trial is essential because it guarantees that they can comprehend the charges against them. Sentencing can also be affected by mental health issues, which enable mitigation depending on the psychological state of the offender.
There are still major issues with the current system in spite of these important factors. Judges and law enforcement personnel are noticeably undertrained and unaware of mental health issues. Fair trial procedures may also be hampered by the lack of availability to trained mental health specialists for assessments and testimony. The stigmatization of mental illness makes things even more difficult since prejudices against people who have mental health problems might affect how juries view them and how the courts rule. These difficulties are made worse by the imperfect application of current laws, such as those included in the Mental Healthcare Act.
Other nations have implemented more successful policies pertaining to mental health in criminal justice, according to a comparative study. Forensic psychologists, for example, are essential in the United States when it comes to assessing defendants' mental states during trials. Specialized mental health tribunals are used in the UK to better handle issues involving mental illness. Diversion programs have been put in place in nations like Canada and Australia with the goal of rerouting mentally ill offenders from conventional punitive methods to treatment-focused ones.
A number of reforms are required in India to overcome these problems. To better serve people with psychological problems, legal reforms should expand the criminal law's mental health provisions. Diversion programs and special mental health courts could be established as part of institutional reforms to better serve the needs of mentally ill criminals. Initiatives to increase capacity must concentrate on educating judges, law enforcement, and prison employees on how to identify and handle mental health concerns. Furthermore, enhancing access to forensic mental health specialists is essential to guaranteeing thorough assessments.
Cases from real life demonstrate how mental health issues can have a big impact on trial results. It is possible to learn valuable lessons about successfully incorporating mental health into judicial proceedings by examining these cases.
It is still difficult to strike an ethical and social balance between the rights of those who are accused and public safety. In order to promote acceptance and understanding in communities, it is imperative that the stigma associated with mental illness be addressed. In conclusion, attaining justice requires acknowledging the significance of mental health criminal cases. Incorporating strong mental health considerations into India's criminal justice system can guarantee fair trials and encourage a more humane approach to justice. Together, legislators, judges, and mental health specialists must design a system that effectively tackles these pressing concerns while preserving individual liberties and public safety.
Bibliography
· NSW Department of Communities and Justice. (n.d.). Forensic mental health reforms. Communities and Justice. https://dcj.nsw.gov.au/legal-and-justice/laws-and-legislation/policy-reform-and-legislation/forensic-mental-health-reforms.html
· Mental Health and Criminal Justice Issues. (n.d.). Mental Health America. https://www.mhanational.org/issues/mental-health-and-criminal-justice-issues
· Ncsc. (2024, April 1). Leading Reform: Competence to Stand Trial Systems – Questions State Court Leaders Should Ask First. NCSC. https://www.ncsc.org/newsroom/behavioral-health-alerts/2025/apr-1-2024
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