Mental hospital wants to release failed Reagan assassin John Hinckley Jr.

[alp227]

Source: CNN

Washington (CNN) -- The government mental hospital where John Hinckley Jr. has spent most of the last 30 years since he shot and tried to kill President Ronald Reagan is asking a federal court to allow Hinckley's eventual release to live with or near his aging mother in Williamsburg, Virginia.

The prosecution, in its own filing with the court on Friday, described Hinckley as "a man capable of great violence" and said his mental condition has not improved to the point of eliminating concerns "that this violence may be repeated."

U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman has scheduled up to a week of court hearings on the issue to start November 28, the Monday after Thanksgiving.

Hinckley is now 56. He was committed to St. Elizabeths Hospital in 1982 after a jury found him innocent by reason of insanity in the shooting of President Reagan and three others, including the president's severely wounded press secretary, James Brady.

Read more: http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/01/us/hinckley-release-request/index.html

[GReedDiamond]

1. I am 56, and if I had perpetrated

...such an act of violence against the sitting Preznit:

I would be the last guy in the world looking for such an outcome to my heinous act of political violence... living with "his aging mother" - she's not aging, she is very near death, as in the beyond-that-state of my "aging mother."

My mom has been aging for three years now, in the ground, in Russel, Kansas.

Fuck Hinckley and the BushCo ass he rode into prison on.

[roguevalley]

16. send him to jail to finish his sentence. anyone else would go there

after being treated. He should have been there from the start. For Jody Foster's sake, don't let him out.

[Angleae]

33. He was found not guilty by reason of insanity

Therefore has no sentence to finish.

[Johnny Harpo]

2. No F-ing Way!

This is one crime you do not get a 'get out of jail free' card for.

[naaman fletcher]

8. meh

Personally I don't see why shooting at the President should be worse than shooting at a random dude. We are all equal, aren't we?

[DURHAM D]

18. No.

He was not out on a stroll to shot a random dude. He was on a mission to shoot the person who held the Presidency of the United Sates.

[naaman fletcher]

21. who is a citizen

as equal as all of us.

[DURHAM D]

25. You can't be helped, obviously. nt

[naaman fletcher]

26. nice, logical, response. nt.

[DURHAM D]

27. You are missing some basics...

Are you from the U.S.? My guess - Not.

[naaman fletcher]

28. another logical and worthwhile response. that's two in a row!

Why don't you just state your case?

[DURHAM D]

29. There is no question.

He shot four people. That isn't shot "at" as you stated.

Like I said - your basics are missing.

I don't talk to silly people.

Done

[naaman fletcher]

32. lol. nt.

[Archae]

3. He won't last 5 minutes out of that hospital.

I mean, some Teabagger Reagan groupie is going to blow his head off.

[ThomThom]

11. Williamsburg Va might not be the safest place for him

Reagun is very big there
and what happens when is mother dies? can he go anywhere?

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

Sub-thread removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[buckrogers1965]

5. If he was really sane now

he would ask to be kept in prison for the rest of his life.

If he says he doesn't want to stay in prison forever, then he is obviously still insane.

This is my definition of sanity for anyone who is declared innocent because of insanity in a criminal proceeding: So horrified at what you did when you were insane that you want to be locked up in prison forever.

[Douglas Carpenter]

6. in strictly legal terms - they may not have a strong basis for holding him any longer

Again I am talking about in strictly legal terms. John Hinkley was found not guilty. That's right not guilty - of course by reason of insanity. Legally a person who was found not guilty cannot be held against their will unless there is compelling evidence that they are a threat to others or themselves. If it is the consensus of state employed psychiatrists that he is not now a threat to himself or others, they have absolutely no basis to legally hold him any longer. However, this is purely legally speaking. The political pressure and public opinion will be so strong against his release - I suspect that the judges making such a decision will yield to public opinion and political pressure as opposed to enforcing of the law.

[LiberalEsto]

20. For the safety of Jodie Foster

Supposedly Hinkley said he shot Reagan to impress Jodie Foster, whom he'd been stalking.
If I were Jodie, I'd be really frightened to hear that Hinkley was on the loose.

[No Elephants]

7. Mr. and Mrs. James Brady got a life sentence and they didn't even shoot anyone.

On the other hand, the punishment for being insane should not be a life sentence, and our system found him NOT GUILTY by reason of insanity.

Under our system, that means treatment in a facility for the criminally insane until the insanity is cured. And that is a medical determination, not a political one.

Either that, or our system of justice doesn't mean a lot and the plea of insanity is no different from a plea of "guilty, with no desire or right to plea bargain."


I know that treated insane people different from other sick people is very wrong and we still do it, only a half step away from Biblical times, when the insane were deemed possessed by demons.

How that general principle would be justly applied in this particular case, however, is beyond me.


Sometimes, I have no answer, just relief that I don't really have to make the decision, only a right, subject to being banned, to knee jerk post at DU about those who do have to make them.


(For lit majors: St. Elizabeth's is the same hospital where the highly controversial Ezra Pound served about 13 years.)

[TomClash]

9. Is he really worse than Cheney or O.J.?

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Who really cares what happens to him?

[qb]

10. Whatever. He can go back to having cocktails with the Bushes.

:eyes:

[bluedigger]

12. He should just leave.

I did some work on the grounds (but outside the fence) of St. Elizabeth's Hospital for the Criminally Insane in the mid-90's. One day my coworkers (I was off site) watched a patient just climb the fence and walk down the street.:eyes:

[Ikonoklast]

13. BushCo must need another politician assassinated.

There are no coincidences.

[Lochloosa]

14. The freepers will go ape shit over this one. Their hero!

[awoke_in_2003]

15. I hate Reagan...

but am against this.

[saras]

17. Out of retirement for one last job...

[UTUSN]

19. He should go to perpetual custody of his family friends, the BUSHes!1 n/t

[azmesa207]

22. Hinckley

should be released who he going to hurt anothere republican ???

[freshstart]

23. He went after Carter

first.

[lynne]

31. I wasn't aware of that but just checked. Yep, he stalked Carter first. -

- It's wasn't about politics to him, it was about making Jodi Foster sit up and take note. They guy needs to stay where he is, IMO.

[MrSlayer]

24. They can release him right into Federal Prison.

Seriously, this dude has no business out in society.

[struggle4progress]

30. I remember when, about 20 years ago, he petitioned for release and was asked at his hearing

what he would do if he got out: he answered that he planned to look up Jodie Foster. That, somehow, didn't persuade anybody that he was all better

[AngryAmish]

34. If he is sane now (and that is a fact question) then there are no grounds to keep him in prison

Even if it wigs Jodie Foster out. Law says he did not commit a crime when he shot Reagan. Law allows him to be in a mental hospital until he is better. IF (and it is a big if) he is better then there is no right to keep him locked up.