MDO Evaluation in California: History, Review, and Discussion
- 1 National University, La Jolla, California, USA
Abstract
In 1986 the state of California enacted the Mentally Disordered Offender law. Its purpose is to protect society from certain inmates with dangerous but treatable severe mental disorders, and to provide treatment for those inmates in the most appropriate setting. The designation has significant consequences for inmates, including often being initially paroled to a state hospital, rather that straight to the community. This paper describes the MDO certification process and explores some of the related professional, ethical, and moral issues related to the MDO process. The paper concludes that the intention and basic framework of the MDO program are sensible and morally justifiable, however, it is also appropriate and necessary to reconsider the factors that are assessed in the process, how those factors are assessed, and how that information is used.
- Board of Parole Hearings (2016). Mentally Disordered Offender Evaluator Handbook for Penal Section 2962.
- Corrigan, P. W. (2005). On the Stigma of Mental Illness. Washington DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/10887-001
- Dershowitz, A. (2005). Rights from Wrongs: A Secular Theory of the Origin of Rights. Cambridge, MA: Basic Books.
- Ely, J. (1980). Democracy and Distrust: A Theory of Judicial Review. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. https://doi.org/10.2307/j.ctv102bj77
- Frazel, S., & Grann, M. (2006). The Population Impact of Severe Mental Illness on Violent Crime. American Journal of Psychiatry, 163, 1397-1403. https://doi.org/10.1176/ajp.2006.163.8.1397
- Harris, G. T., Rice, M. E., Quinsey, V. L., & Cormeir, C. A. (2015). Violent Offenders: Appraising and Managing Risk (3rd ed.). Washington DC: American Psychological Association. https://doi.org/10.1037/14572-000
- Harvard Mental Health Letter (2011). Mental Health and Violence. Cambridge, MA: Harvard Medical School. http://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletters/Harvard_Mental_Health_Letter/2011/January/mental-illness-and-violence
- James, D. J., & Glaze, L. E. (2006). Mental Health Problems of Prison and Jail Inmates. Washington DC: U.S. Department of Justice, Bureau of Justice Statistics. https://doi.org/10.1037/e557002006-001
- Lamberg, L. (1988). Mental Illness and Violent Acts: Protecting the Patient and the Public. JAMA: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 280, 407-408. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.280.5.407-JMN0805-3-1
- Legislative Analyst’s Office (2017). How Much Does It Cost to Incarcerate an Inmate. http://www.lao.ca.gov/PolicyAreas/CJ/6_cj_inmatecost
- Nilsson, T., Wallinius, M., Gustavson, C., Anckarsater, H., & Kerekes, N. (2011). Violent Recidivism: A Long-Term Follow-Up Study of Mentally Disordered Offenders. PLoS ONE, 6, e25768. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0025768
- Schug, R. A., & Fradella, H. F. (2015). Mental Illness and Crime. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
- Shouse California Law Group (2016). Mentally Disordered Offenders and California Parole. http://www.shouselaw.com/mdo.html
- Skeem, J. L., Manchak, S., & Peterson, J. K. (2010). Correctional Policy for Offenders with Mental Illness: Creating a New Paradigm for Recidivism Reduction. Law and Human Behavior, 35, 110-126. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10979-010-9223-7