SHATTERED LIVES with Donna R. Gore, “LadyJustice”
Examining the effects of those who have survived violent crime and how it has impacted their lives.
Real people, real tragedy, real help.
Saturdays at 5pm ET
Listen LIVE: CLICK HERE
The insanity defense has been used for a long time as a way to defend murder cases in court, but, are we seeing more and more mental illness and insanity among criminals, and how can we put a plug in this epidemic?
Murder of an individual can be classified in many ways; a crime of passion, result of domestic violence, mass murder, mob hits, and even “thrill kills.” What drives one to take the life of another human being? We all agree that there must be something wrong with the mental health of anyone who has the capability of snuffing out life, but where are the solutions? Are some mental health professionals and the drugs they prescribe complicit as well?
This episode of Shattered Lives will examine the issue of mental health and murder, discussing several different high profile, and lesser known, murders and the perpetrators and discuss solutions, danger signals, and what can be done to curb the mentally ill potential criminal.
The guests for the hour are Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins and Duane Bowers to discuss the personal aspect of mental health and crime, the public policies, and the therapies available for both the criminal and close family members.
Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins
Jennifer Bishop-Jenkins’ sister Nancy Bishop Langert was shot to death along with her husband, Richard Langert, and their unborn child in suburban Chicago in 1990. Their killer was 16 years old at the time and a local politician running for re-election proposed lowering the age of death penalty eligibility in Illinois to 16 to “honor your sister.”
Jennifer vowed to oppose him publicly if her sister’s murder was used as the rationale for this proposal. “Nancy loved children and this is not what she would have wanted,” she says. Since that time she has worked to end the death penalty both in Illinois and nationwide.
She currently serves as the Director of Marsy’s Law for Illinois
Duane Bowers
Duane T. Bowers, LPC, CCHt is a Licensed Professional Counselor and Educator, and a Certified Clinical Hypnotherapist in private practice. He is the author of Guiding Your Family Through Loss and Grief, and A Child is Missing: Providing Support for Families of Missing Children.
As a therapist Duane’s specialty is working with survivors of traumatic death and suicide, which includesassisting families who must identify loved ones at the DC Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, through theWendtCenterfor Loss and Healing. He also provides support to families of abducted, missing, exploited and murdered children through theNationalCenterfor Missing and Exploited Children (NCMEC). In addition, Duane serves as a training consultant to NCMEC, and is deployed by them to provide crisis intervention at Amber Alert sites with Team Adam. He also serves as a consultant and trainer for Team HOPE, a telephone support line for parents of missing children, and has provided services to AMECO (Association of Missing and Exploited Children Organizations) and the Canadian Centre for Child Protection in Winnipeg. Duane also worked as a therapist with members of the military and their families through Military Onesource.
As an educator, Duane teaches seminars nationally, internationally and regionally on dying, death and grief, as well as trauma, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and traumatic loss. He has served as an Adjunct Professor of Counseling atTrinityCollegeinWashingtonDC, and has been an invited guest lecturer for national conferences, as well as for graduate and undergraduate classes of various colleges and universities. Duane is also a contract trainer for the Office for Victims of Crime.
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