Interesting topic.
One might say that indefinite time spent in a psychiatric institution might be as bad or worse than an indefinite prison term. Especially with the resurgence of electro-shock therapy and the current system of experimenting with drug cocktails on people.
Taking a course right now on Madness and Sanity in Society and its clear our understanding and treatment of the so-called "mentally ill" hasn't progressed as far as we might think it has.
The judicial system, prison system and mental health system all need to be looked at in much more detail.
As for your question Ag, I think that someone who is deemed sane when they commit a serious crime must be handled differently than those who are not deemed sane. Whether either could be rehabilitated is questionable to me. Tough issue.
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