Quote:
Originally Posted by Sailor Steve
A friend of mine once expressed the opinion that "insanity" is more cause for punishment, not less. He felt that if the person really is insane then all the more reason to put him down now so he can't hurt anyone else.
Me? I don't know.
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I would not agree that there is all the more reason to punish him, but I do strongly agree that with insane violent criminals there is all the more reason to lock them away from society.
Who is the greater threat to society
1. Man kills his business partner to get the entire company
2. Man kills everyone with green eyes
In my opinion we need to get away from the verdict of Not guilty due to insanity and instate a verdict of Guilty and Insane. With the understanding that such a person would be first committed to a mental institution.
If, after treatment, the doctors see no reason to keep the patient in the hospital, they would be transferred to a suitable prison to serve their sentence.
I don't understand this once cured all is forgiven mentality. Society has the responsibility to treat the mentally ill. But once that treatment is finished (either successfully or unsuccessfully) there still needs to be the basic accountability that I feel is important for any society to survive.
I would also like the mental professionals to reexamine exactly what they mean by "insane". I can understand that some insane people could be forgiven but other types I can't.
But it is a complicated issue.