Actually Geno thirty or forty years ago our Federal Supreme Court ruled that you can't lock up anyone in a mental institution unless he is a danger to others or himself. You can be free and crazy as long as you are not dangerous.
Best,
Mike
Yes Mike:
And due to the court rulings this is the end result. Nutjobs like Jared Loughner can't be institionalized until they commit some horrific crime like killing and wounding several people.
...
Jim
The fact of the matter is that Loughner's family was trying to get him some sort of mental evaluation or treatment because they were concerned he might be dangerous, but because of budget cuts (forced by the taxes-can-only-be-cut crowd) there were none to be found. It would be ironic if there weren't dead and wounded involved.
And, before one goes too hard on any organization that advocates against, say, involuntary committments, consider this: what standard would
you set for deciding someone should be involuntarily committed, if not one where the person is adjudged (on the basis of medical evidence presented in open court) to be an imminent danger to himself or others?
Keeping in mind, of course, that the ATF form you fill out every time you buy a gun asks whether you have ever been involuntarily committed or adjudged a mental incompetent, and tends strongly to disqualify any person answering "yes" from completing the transaction....
