Are You Crazy...?

Somehow this report doesn't surprise me one little bit!

I mean, I always thought that most folks in prison had to have a mental problem in the first place...and this story does indeed point out just how scary this situation is.

One of the really bad things about it is that the majority of these people are going to be released without treatment of any kind! Reason enough to worry, but consider that there is probably many more just as bad that are already walking the streets!

If you don't believe that, just read any paper or watch any newscast! Parents killing or beating their children, home invasions, carjackings, kidnapping, rape...the list goes on and on! My friends, these are NOT the actions of totally sane individuals!

When you figure in the complete collapse of the moral fiber that once was the rule, other than the exception, and it should come as no surprise that so many are suffering from inner demons! Probably would be an act of kindness to put a lot of them out of their misery, but then who is going to judge them?

The Justice system is so broken in this country right now, that a slap on the wrist is becoming more and more the action of choice. This is NOT justice and is by no means true punishment!

So, get ready for another wave of crazies to be running the streets and rural roads around your homes, courtesy of the totally screwed up system now in place!

16 percent of Texas inmates suffer mental illness

© 2010 The Associated Press
Aug. 7, 2010, 7:03PM

SAN ANTONIO — At least 16 percent of Texas inmates are mentally ill and some counties in the state don't follow a law passed last year requiring a swift psychiatric evaluation of those suspected to be mentally ill, according to a newspaper investigation.

The San Antonio Express-News reported Saturday that courts are supposed to order the exams before proceeding with trials in a process designed to usher inmates who need help into treatment. Instead, many inmates languish in their cells for months or years, waiting for hospital beds to become available.

In the Bexar County Jail, about 21 percent of inmates suffer from mental illness. About 100 of the jail's inmates are waiting for beds at the state hospital, Bexar County Sheriff Amadeo Ortiz said.

But such beds could soon become even more scarce. The state Health and Human Services Commission has proposed slashing 183 beds from five state hospitals in the next two years, including 44 beds in San Antonio. It's part of a statewide cost-cutting move in the face of budget shortfalls.

The problem isn't just in San Antonio. Statewide, there are about 350 nonviolent inmates on a forensic bed waiting list. Such beds are for defendants deemed too mentally ill to stand trial.

"I've got 103 in jail right now waiting to go to the state hospital," said Ron Stretcher, criminal justice director of Dallas County.

Information from: San Antonio Express-News, http://www.mysanantonio.com

Now, my friends, let's get some fresh coffee and sit outside! Maybe it's still safe for a little while, ya think?