Can people that have mental problems be found guilty of crimes?

Answer 1

In some cases yes, In some cases no.

It is usually the carer that is held responsible.

Another View: People who have mental "problems" might try to use that as a mitigating factor in their defense, but the likelihood that they will be acquitted by reason of insanity is very slight. In order to use the insanity defense requires a whole host of medical exams, observations, interviews, evaluations, and expert testimony by psychiatrists in an attempt to prove it. Even then, the jury may choose not to believe them and find them guilty anyway.

Another View: People who suffer auditory command hallucinations and/or impulse control disorder, can often not be able to resist an action which is harmful, immoral or even illegal. There are medical reasons but they are often not considered an excuse for the actions.

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It comes down to how much their mental problems impacted their ability to understand what they were doing, distinguish between right and wrong, or control what they are doing.

Some people successfully argue "diminished capacity" due to mental problems - i.e. that their mental problems diminished their ability to discern right from wrong or fully understand or control what they were doing (aka - irresistible impulse).

Sometimes people escape being found guilty under the concept of "temporary insanity", i.e. insane during the commission of a crime, but later regained their sanity after the criminal act was carried out. This legal defense is commonly used to defend individuals that have committed crimes of passion.

In general, courts apply some version of the M'Naghten test or Durham test. The M'Naghten test boils down to a person being so detached from reality that they either don't really understand that what they are doing is wrong or don't realize what they are doing. The Durham test is more broad and allows acquittal "if the crime was the product of his mental illness" (i.e., crime would not have been committed but for the disease).

Even if a person is found to have mental problems, if it is not established that the specific problem(s) essentially caused them to commit the crime, they are still responsible and they should be found guilty. In many cases even if they are not held responsible for the crime, the fact that they committed the crime is pretty strong proof that they need to be locked up in order to protect others and receive treatment for the mental problem until such time as it can be shown that their mental problem is either cured or is sufficiently lessened that they are no longer likely to commit criminal acts as a result of them.