South/Central Texas Multiple Homicides (6 dead, 9 shot) 12/5/23

[TwiceHorn 31434]

2 hours ago, BurntEyes said:

I worked in a mental health hospital. Without violation of privacy I can say there was essentially a life long resident there that had committed homicide. They first sent that person to prison. There were issues in the prison, relating to mental health, and they finally sent them to a psychiatric facility. 

On meds, they were occasionally confused,  sometimes irritable, but usually extremely compliant and quiet the majority of the time.

They were very sick, had to eat state food for life, never getting out, and never had visitors. 

I know there's sometime the idea that this is an easy out, but if you've ever met or know any truly mentally sick people, it's extremely sad. 

I just hope someday this country will recognize like cancer, it's a disease. It sometimes leads to tragic consequences, but... if we were more proactive and willing to fund mental health in this US, it might be less frequent for it to escalate to tragic ends.

It ends well for nobody. I know this is an unpopular take, but I'm never changing my view on it. Go spend some time with some truly mentally ill folks before a final judgment.

 

Definitely better than prison, for both the mentally ill and likely other inmates, as well.

I think the definition of not guilty by reason of insanity definition should be expanded such that floridly mental ill can avoid prison for even heinous crimes, with a similar sentence to a mental health facility, maybe lifetime commitment with a possibility of parole.

I think it should also permit more minor criminals to avoid prison sentences and convictions in a somewhat similar manner (drug, mental health, and veteran's courts do this, but I think it should be a regular feature of the CJ system).

[BurntEyes 5955]

22 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Definitely better than prison, for both the mentally ill and likely other inmates, as well.

I think the definition of not guilty by reason of insanity definition should be expanded such that floridly mental ill can avoid prison for even heinous crimes, with a similar sentence to a mental health facility, maybe lifetime commitment with a possibility of parole.

I think it should also permit more minor criminals to avoid prison sentences and convictions in a somewhat similar manner (drug, mental health, and veteran's courts do this, but I think it should be a regular feature of the CJ system).

I largely agree in broad strokes but the devil, as always, is in the details. Aileen Wuoronos (I would have never gotten that spelling correct) comes to mind. Did she have some serious mental and drug issues? Absolutely. Did she suffer some absolutely horrible childhood trauma. Absolutely.

It's a complicated case but just one example where the lines between someone with drug and mental health issues is extremely blurred with calculating serial killer. Granted, it's possible a lot of the guys she killed were not wonderful humans. Doesn't matter. That's a single example but Ed Gein is another. His upbringing rivals Aileen's, debatable that it's worse.