A person diagnosed with a serious mental illness (SMI) living in the community was punched, pushed to the ground, and robbed of $7 during the day on a public street. Which statements about violence and serious mental illness in general are accurate?
Select all that apply.
a. Persons with SMI are more likely to be violent.
b. SMI persons are more likely to commit crimes than to be the victims of crime.
c. Impaired judgment and social skills can provoke hostile or assaultive behavior.
d. Lower incomes force SMI persons to live in high-crime areas, increasing risk.
e. SMI persons experience higher rates of sexual assault and victimization than others.
f. Criminals may believe SMI persons are less likely to resist or testify against them.
ANS: C, D, E, F
Mentally ill persons are more likely to be victims of crime than perpetrators of criminal acts. They are often victims of criminal behavior, including sexual crimes, at a higher rate than others. When a mentally ill person commits a crime, it is usually nonviolent. Mental illnesses interfere with employment and are associated with poverty, limiting SMI persons to living in inexpensive areas that also tend to be higher-crime areas. SMI persons may inadvertently provoke others because of poor judgment or socially inappropriate behavior, or they may be victimized because they are perceived as passive, less likely to resist, and less likely to be believed as witnesses. See related audience response question.
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