I read today that my state’s psychiatric hospital sends patients they deem too difficult to the psychiatric ward of our state prison indefinetly without having to convict them of an actual crime. I found this horrific, as I’ve never been to state hospital (weaseled and dodged it twice) but thought better of my state than other more notrious ones when it comes to treatment and criminalization of the mentally ill. These patients, when tranferred to the prison unit are being housed with people the STATE PRISON deemed too dangerous for general population along with civily committed “sexually dangerous persons” of which (I know it’s unpopular) I disagree with (yes that is horrific as well) on the grounds of constitutionality and the belief in civil liberties.
But the mentally ill, ever since hearing of deaths in Massachusettes of young patients sent to institutions for the criminally insane for in one case hitting a psychiatrist (I might have done that had I less control)
Scary stuff.
http://www.ccjrnh.org/ccjr_news/states_housing_civilly_committed_draws_fire
And just to clarify, I mentioned I’m opposed to the civil commitment of “sexually dangerous predetors” (in most cases) And I say this as a vicitim of sexual violence. In these cases they have been convicted and served the sentence handed down only to after their sentance is over are indefinately committed to prison psych units. I, though do not condone their crimes, detest this practice as entirely unamerican and completely averse to a society committed to liberty (we’re not by the way…it’s been a lie since we grew to become an empire)
This guy may as well be singing "when I was arrested in (any locality in the US here)
My state also committed the sex offenders to mental hospitalization if they were repeat offenders or violence was involved in an assault. This was called a ‘treatment program’ but most were never released until recently. Heard recently the less violent sex offenders are now being offered work release in smaller community.
I do not think the mental commitments should be housed with the violent offenders. It’s unsafe for the insane ones, and easy opportunity for the sickos to try to harm someone vulnerable. In my state, most of the state mental hospitals were closed 15 years ago when the state privatized mental care. Majority of the mental commitments are housed in a few different communities in old nursing homes now used for mental health. There are still just a couple state hospitals who house some commitment cases who are flight risk. Some of the nursing homes for mental health even allow their charges walk around privileges in small town with restaurant, grocery, library, park/pool and gas station; other nursing homes are lock down wards. Lots of these nursing home commitments are in mental care commitment after a crime, usually something while delusional like arson.