MY RESPONSE TO AN ARTICLE IN OUR PAPER TODAY.

I am writing in regards to your Friday forum. It is quite clear that the author has not done his/her research into the amount of crime committed by those labelled as mentally ill, also the difficulty that those in the legal profession have in proving one is mentally ill.
If the author had chosen to research statistics then he/she would have found that crime committed by those classified as mentally ill is few and far between. To state that “court rulings make a mockery of those with genuine mental illness” is making a mockery of those who make the diagnosis and judicial discretion undertaken at the time of sentencing. It appears that the author would like to see all offenders classified as mentally ill, added to the already over populated jails. I’m sure they will obtain the therapeutic help they need in there, NOT; when they eventually are released will no doubt re offend! What does the author propose we do with juvenile offenders classified as mentally ill? The same? What a waste of a life. The majority of juvenile offenders do not go on to commit adult crimes, again, something the author would have known if research had been carried out.
Society has already failed these offenders, and as one commentator (Harding) has said “Prison populations, in modern Australia are drawn predominately from the nations burgeoning under class, the under educated, poorly socialised, family deprived, substance dependant, previously unemployed, physically unhealthy and psychologically damaged segments of the population”. These people are being punished for not only their offences but for society’s failure to help them before they commit crimes.
I suggest the author turn off “Law & Order and CSI get his or her backside into a court room and observe how its carried out for REAL.

The author of the article i am responding to basically was saying its too easy to be classed as mentally ill in court and if you are then they should lock you in jail. Also that if you are metally ill, too bad that you should still be able to distinguish right from wrong.