Friday, February 08, 2013

Criminalizing Mental Illness


Harper has probably got a tent in his puritanical pants over this one.

Our prime monster is on the crime and punishment bandwagon and this time he's got the mentally ill squarely in his sights.   They may be crazy but that doesn't mean you can't get'em a long term stay in the Greybar Hotel anyway.

Now courts that find an accused not criminally responsible because of mental impairment can go ahead and label them "high risk" and throw them in jail anyway.   You know, jail, as in where the United States houses its mentally ill because it does such a wonderful job at helping them get better.

But wait, there's more.   Did you expect anything else from our Sham-Wow prime minister?   A person can be declared "high risk" even if their offences were non-violent.   And, once you toss them into your dungeon for the criminally insane, they're there to stay until a court lifts the designation.   And, of course, since the odds are so stacked against the mentally ill getting successfully treated in prisons (ask the Americans) that means a good chance of a life sentence even for relatively minor crimes.

Twain had Harper in mind when he wrote, "To a man with only a hammer, everything looks like a nail."

3 comments:

Al said...

j.mp/Wxf73A Beware! You do not have SSD, a new psycho disease that benefits lazy & uninformed doctors, but sufferers, not so much.

Just another tactic to criminalize the pain of living in our market society and suppression of reasonable dissent.

From his behaviour and religous beliefs, I think Harper is mentally impaired, but I don't have the enforcement agencies on my side of the argument.

Anonymous said...

Would Harper listen if Kevin O'Leary lobbied him on the criminal justice system? He (Kevin)knows a thing or two about what works, what doesn't, and what really could be better for Canadian's safety and economy...? Not likely. Speaking of 'hammers', the whole bloody con-outfit reminds me of Tom 'the Hammer' Delay. Criminal jerry-mandering, etc; etc; etc; - yet the 'smilingest' mug-shots ever! They know no shame.

Anonymous said...

Anon 12:11 is me, Linda.