Mental health and the criminal justice system have long been closely linked. Analyzing and understanding the connections between these two topics requires delving deeper into the fields of criminology, sociology, psychology and psychiatry, as there are many views on whether criminal behavior a person is due or not to their criminal behavior. mental health. Some believe that an unstable state of mind can strongly influence a person's decision to commit criminal acts. Others believe that mental health and crime are unrelated and that linking them together is a form of discrimination because it insinuates that those in our society who suffer from poor mental health are more likely to become criminals because their misunderstood behavior is not considered normal in society. In this report I will go into detail about what mental health and mental illness is, what differentiates a normal criminal from a mentally unstable criminal, I will give examples of criminal cases in which the state of he mind of the accused has been evoked, I will introduce theories on why someone would commit crimes due to their mental health, and finally, I will discuss how the criminal justice system has been changed to take into account mental health issues. According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control), the term mental health is commonly used in reference to mental illness. However, knowledge in the field has reached a level that completely separates the two terminologies. But even though mental health and mental illness are indeed linked, they represent a different psychological state of mind in a person. Mental health refers to our physical and emotional well-being. Mental health is primarily about how we behave, interact and think. It is...... middle of paper ......culture and beliefs. Another reason one may commit crime is that when people fail to meet society's expectations through legal means such as hard work and delayed gratification, they may attempt to succeed through crime. People also develop the motivation and skills to commit crime through the people they associate with. Some criminals commit crimes because of the controls society places on a person through institutions such as schools, workplaces, churches, and families. Sometimes there are occasions when a person's actions go against what society considers normal and, therefore, they are considered a crime instead. Furthermore, some criminals continue their criminal acts because they have been rejected by their society, because once a person is labeled a criminal, society takes away their opportunities, which in most cases leads to more criminal behavior..