4 ms·

I'm surprised no one is bringing up sanctions for the psychologists involved. In the US legal system, you can be found unfit to stand trial, as this man was. Wh

I'm surprised no one is bringing up sanctions for the psychologists involved. In the US legal system, you can be found unfit to stand trial, as this man was. Which means you are involuntarily committed to a mental facility and treated until you are deemed fit to stand trial. This is meant to prevent the state from prosecuting someone completely incapable of understanding what is going on and defending themselves. As a result, being found fit to stand trial is a very low bar to reach. It essentially means you know what a judge is, what a jury is, what a lawyer is, and what you are being charged with. You can be found fit to stand trial even with fairly serious delusions. I'm shocked he was considered unfit to stand trial simply because he claimed to be a different person.

gowld 5y ago
How would "sent to jail" (with likely eve more abusive "mental health care" for "delusions") be any better than "sent to hospital"
- openasocket 5y ago
  In this case, had he not been declared mentally unfit, he might not have gone to jail either. Being declared mentally unfit basically pauses the trial and puts the defendant into treatment until they are declared fit. Your abilities to appeal the decision, try to get the charges drop, or access legal assistance is very limited. It's an extraordinary step that shouldn't be taken lightly.
fencepost 5y ago
If he has an attorney interested he might be able to pursue malpractice claims, particularly considering that they medicated him against his will.
lozenge 5y ago
Was it the drugs that made him genuinely unfit to stand trial?
- openasocket 5y ago
  Possibly, but the article wasn't clear. Haloperidol, while it is effective against schizophrenic symptoms, is basically a tranquilizer. I don't know what that could do to someone not experiencing psychotic symptoms, but it seems unlikely to make you so out of it you aren't fit to stand trial

gowld 5y ago

How would "sent to jail" (with likely eve more abusive "mental health care" for "delusions") be any better than "sent to hospital"

openasocket 5y ago
In this case, had he not been declared mentally unfit, he might not have gone to jail either. Being declared mentally unfit basically pauses the trial and puts the defendant into treatment until they are declared fit. Your abilities to appeal the decision, try to get the charges drop, or access legal assistance is very limited. It's an extraordinary step that shouldn't be taken lightly.

fencepost 5y ago

If he has an attorney interested he might be able to pursue malpractice claims, particularly considering that they medicated him against his will.

lozenge 5y ago

Was it the drugs that made him genuinely unfit to stand trial?

openasocket 5y ago
Possibly, but the article wasn't clear. Haloperidol, while it is effective against schizophrenic symptoms, is basically a tranquilizer. I don't know what that could do to someone not experiencing psychotic symptoms, but it seems unlikely to make you so out of it you aren't fit to stand trial