Quote:
Originally Posted by Nage Waza
I know I have said it earlier in this thread, but don't most, or a significant portion of people in jail have mental health issues? Substance abuse would probably describe the other large portion of inmates.
It certainly seems odd to me that if this guy is allowed out of jail as long as he is on his meds, then shouldn't the rest of the people in jail have something similar offered? Why have we gone so far in this case?
You shoplift? Well here is some money. You assaulted someone? Here is some medication. You were on drugs? Well how about rehab or more drugs. Drunk driving but you are an alcoholic? There are absolutely mitigating circumstances with all of the situations.
I still don't see how we made the leap to what is happening with this case.
|
I worked with a kid that did two and half years in Colony Farm (a contained psyche unit near Vancouver) for pushing a cop, no harm done. just a big slow kid with profound cognative issues (maybe FASD) who got mad at being told he couldn't wait outside the rec center, his lawyer argued he was not competent for a charge that would have got him probation at most if he was 'normal'. Most psyche orders last way longer than the equivalent criminal sentence would for the same action.
Whether you are seen as mentally ill or not by the criminal justice system is pretty much a crap shoot if you're homeless, native addicted etc, most legal aid lawyers will plead you to the lowest sentence they can get, unless you are barking at the moon they don't have the time or facilities to argue you need assessing.