The Verdins principles do not require automatic mitigation of sentence merely because an offender suffers from mental illness; they require scrutiny of the relationship between the mental disorder and each relevant sentencing factor. Where the sentencing judge fails to explain which Verdins factors were applied and what weight they received, the appeal court will assess whether a different sentence should have been imposed, not merely whether there was error in the reasons. Depression, alcoholism and anger management problems may reduce moral culpability and moderate general deterrence, but only to a limited degree where the offender was aware his conduct was wrong.
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