The volume begins with a brief overview and a philosophical discussion of whether individuals with mental illness should be punished. For example, chapter three, Troublesome Offenders, Undeserving Patients?, develops both the argument that individuals with mental health needs have the right to be punished and the argument …show more content…
Chapter two is especially powerful as Lucy, a person who suffers from multiple mental illnesses, begins by describing the mental health system as a resource that successfully improved her life. However, upon relapsing years later, the same system aided in the regression of Lucy’s mental health and limited her progress towards a healthier future. Through several mental health misdiagnoses and being forced to “self-admit” into a hospital, Lucy discusses the hardships of having a mental illness in a time where public budgets are being cut and priority is no longer given to treatments for individuals with mental