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antigone382

(3,682 posts)
2. To be honest, I think it's a failure of our justice system that he is in prison.
Wed Mar 27, 2013, 08:55 PM
Mar 2013

I grieve very much for the six people who were killed, and Gabby Giffords and the dozens of others who were injured. I just think there is no question that Loughner is tragically schizophrenic--and I don't at all mean that to imply that most schizophrenics are dangerous, as I know they are not. In his case, his mental illness led to tragic and violent results. The fact that the death penalty was held over his head to compel a guilty plea when he was clearly not in a lucid state of mind in the months leading up to the crime is a travesty. He should be getting mental healthcare.

And yes, I am also aware that state mental health facilities are often at least as horrific as prison. I don't find that acceptable either. I maintain, however, that a textbook case of "not guilty by reason of insanity" which results in a "guilty" plea is a subversion of justice.

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