Report Considers How Arizona Heat Fuels Crimes Committed by the Mentally Ill
When temperatures rise in the summer months in Arizona, people who suffer from mental illnesses often experience an uptick in problems. A recent report in AZCentral highlighted how the Arizona heat may fuel crimes committed by the mentally ill in the state. The reporters spoke to Teresa Jimenez Dupee, a woman from Yuma who hears […]
Mental Health is the Focus of Anti-Gun Legislation Move in Arizona
Arizona has one of the worst ratios of students to school counselors in the nation. Concerns that a lack of intervention sparks potential gun violence led high school students in the state to make mental health concerns the focus of an anti-gun legislation move. March for Our Lives Arizona, a movement led by teenagers, called […]
Peer Support Programs Help Defendants with Mental Illness in Phoenix
It’s tough to be charged with a crime if you are mentally ill in Phoenix. It’s even harder if you have no family or other support networks to turn to. However, peer support programs often play an invaluable role in helping mentally ill people who fall foul of the law. The role of the Criminal […]
Is There a Link Between Mental Illness and Gun Violence?
America has experienced a series of mass shootings in recent years. After almost every tragedy, commentators and politicians talk about the potential link between mental illness and gun violence. It’s certainly the case that some people implicated in mass shootings suffered from mental illness. James Holmes, the shooter who killed 12 people at a movie […]
Celebrating Our Client’s Success
One of the most satisfying experiences a defense attorney can have is seeing a client receive the care he needs and put his case behind him without spending time in prison. Today I celebrate the success of D.B., a client of mine who has recently successfully completed probation. D.B. came to me with several charges […]
Guilty Except Insane Plea
On January 29, 2017, an ambulance containing four people was pulling in to the Phoenix Baptist Hospital in Phoenix when L.S. pulled up alongside the ambulance and fired a handgun into the patient compartment and drove away. Luckily, no one was injured. About 2 hours later police were called to a Circle K in Phoenix […]
Man Accused of Tucson Killing Had a History of Mental Illness
People who are charged with serious crimes of violence sometimes have a past of mental illness. Police said a man accused of killing a woman in Tucson earlier this year had a long history of psychiatric disorders. A report in Tuscon.com said the man implicated in the death of a 61-year-old woman struggled with mental […]
Mental Health and Reoffending Issues Are Dealt with in Arizona County Jail Program
Many jails contain house numbers of inmates who suffer from mental illnesses. Jail administrators in Yavapai County Sheriff’s Office were surprised to learn more than half of inmates in detention had been diagnosed with mental health problems. The revelation in 2015 sparked action by the sheriff’s office. The Verde Valley’s JournalAZ.com reported on how jail […]
Is There a Relationship Between Mental Illness and Homicide?
Many studies that tackled the issue of the relationship between mental illness and homicide have detected mental disorders in many defendants charged with extreme cases of violence. For example, a study of 71 people convicted of murder (excluding vehicular homicide) in Contra Costa County, California, found 49 of them suffered from serious mental disorders. The […]
Mental Health and Crimes Against Children in Arizona
Crimes against children often result in heavy sentences. As well as serving long sentences, people who commit them often end up on sex offenders’ registers after their release from prison. When a mentally ill family member is accused of crimes against children, the ordeal can be overwhelming. Sexual crimes against children are understandably shocking to […]