2.1 Chapter Learning Objectives and Overview
Learning Objectives
The following learning objectives tell you what is most important in this chapter. Use these statements as a guide to make sure you get the most out of this chapter.
- Explain the classification system used to diagnose mental disorders in the United States.
- Describe some mental disorders and behavioral considerations that may be of interest to criminal justice professionals.
- Evaluate the importance of accurate information, proper care, and negating stigma for people experiencing mental disorders who interact with the justice system.
- Discuss barriers to proper care and treatment for mental disorders, inside and outside of the criminal justice system.
Key Terms
Look for these important terms in the text in bold. Understanding these terms will help you meet the learning objectives of this chapter. You can find definitions for these terms at the end of the chapter.
- Anosognosia
- Anxiety disorders
- Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)
- Co-occurring mental disorder
- Culturally competent
- Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)
- Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT)
- Dissociative disorders
- LGBTQIA+
- Malingering
- Mood disorders
- Neurocognitive disorders
- Neurodevelopmental disorders
- Paraphilic disorders
- Personality disorders
- Post-traumatic stress disorder
- Psychotic disorders
- Psychopathy
- Psychosis
- Serious mental illness
- Substance use disorders
- Trauma
Chapter Overview
On a January day in 2013, a 26-year-old man named Ethan Saylor, accompanied by a caregiver, sat for a showing of Zero Dark Thirty in a Maryland movie theater. When their movie ended, Ethan’s caregiver asked him to wait for her while she went to get the car. While the caregiver was gone, Ethan returned to his seat in the theater and thought he might like to watch the movie a second time. Ethan, who loved church, guitars, and police officers, had Down syndrome, a genetic disorder that causes intellectual and developmental disability (figure 2.1) (The Road We’ve Shared, 2024).
The theater manager contacted mall security, which was staffed by three sheriff’s deputies working a special detail on that day. The deputies told Ethan he needed to leave, but Ethan verbally resisted. As the situation escalated, Ethan’s caregiver—an 18-year-old woman—asked deputies to stop, to avoid touching Ethan, and to allow her to assist. She was ignored (The Road We’ve Shared, 2024). Instead, the deputies forced Ethan, who hated being touched, out of his seat and proceeded to arrest him. Witnesses reported that one deputy had his knee in Ethan’s back as they tried to handcuff him. Ethan called out “Mommy” before he eventually stopped breathing. Ethan’s death was ruled a homicide due to asphyxiation. Medical reports revealed his larynx was fractured (Perry, 2013; Vargas, 2023). A grand jury declined to issue charges against the deputies who killed Ethan, and the deputies were cleared of wrongdoing by an internal investigation. At least one of the deputies was later hired to work for the police department in the very same community where he had killed Ethan (Vargas, 2020).
Led by Ethan’s devastated family, a movement to increase awareness and education around the treatment of people with intellectual and developmental disabilities within the law enforcement community followed Ethan’s death. One focus of the Ethan Saylor Alliance [Website] is ensuring that people with developmental or intellectual disabilities are advising and participating in training programs for law enforcement officers. Feel free to visit the website if you would like to learn more.
As discussed in Chapter 1 of this text, people with mental disorders are more likely to be involved with the criminal justice system than people without mental disorders. This includes public encounters gone awry like Ethan Saylor’s, as well as cases where people have been charged with or convicted of crimes, in addition to interactions with victims, witnesses, and other system participants. Thus, students of criminal justice must consider and have a basic understanding of mental disorders that may impact the people they will encounter. As you read this chapter, consider how Ethan Saylor’s encounter might have ended differently if the deputies responsible for his death had been prepared and capable of responding appropriately to Ethan.
Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Learning Objectives and Overview
Open Content, Original
“Chapter Overview” by Monica McKirdy and Anne Nichol is licensed under CC BY 4.0.
Open Content, Shared Previously
Figure 2.1. Photograph of Ethan Saylor by 4WardEverUK is licensed under CC BY-NC-ND 4.0.
