Impact of Offender Schizophrenia Diagnosis on Public Perceptions of Crime and Punishment

Individuals with serious mental illness (SMI) make up only 6% of the U.S. population but represent up to 40% of those incarcerated. This overrepresentation is likely due to systemic discrimination, exemplified by people with SMI being twice as likely to be arrested as those without SMI. This study continued examining this discrimination by investigating the impact of one SMI, schizophrenia, on public perceptions of crime. Participants viewed and evaluated two criminal case records where the offender either had schizophrenia or did not have schizophrenia. Contrary to hypotheses, offenders without schizophrenia were perceived more negatively and more deserving of incarceration, their crimes were perceived as more severe, and their punishments were perceived as fairer than those with schizophrenia. Results were replicated across two crime conditions. These findings contradict prior literature, capturing the current stigma surrounding schizophrenia in the criminal justice system. They have implications for policy and system reform.