Mental disorders and crime

Mental Disorder

In April 2007, Cho Seung-Hui went on a shooting spree and killed 33 people at the Virginia Tech Campus. He later mailed a video to NBC News where he presented himself as a persecuted martyr in a rambling and paranoid multimedia message. 

In December 2005, a Virginia judge had considered Cho as an imminent danger to himself and the judge found Cho to be mentally ill. 

 Research and read more about the above-mentioned case as well as other similar cases. Based on your understanding, answer the following: 

• How often are mentally ill patients involved in serious crimes?  

• Is there statistical data showing a correlation between mental illness and criminal behavior? 

• Give an example of another mentally ill person involved in serious crime. Discuss the details of his or her crime.

• Can Cho Seung-Hui’s act and the act of the person in the chosen example be attributed to mental illness? Why? Explain and provide a rationale for your answer. 

• What preventions can be taken to ensure that people like Cho Seung-Hui, who have already been considered mentally ill, do not commit such crimes?