Sunday, January 13, 2013

Protecting the public from the mentally ill

From the Daily News:

There’s a drive on in Albany for legislation that would better protect New Yorkers from dangerously disturbed people who wreak bloody mayhem while off their psychiatric medications.

Prompted by the death of Sunando Sen, who was hurled last month in front of a subway train, state Senate Republicans are pushing to close loopholes in Kendra’s Law, a statute that empowers authorities to compel sick people to take the drugs necessary to keep them nonviolent, and to commit them to psychiatric facilities if they refuse.

Sen was pushed by a deranged woman with a history of violent outbursts — and of refusing to take her meds. The episode was a high-profile example of the deaths and injuries that similarly ill people inflict regularly on themselves or others.

Named in memory of Kendra Webdale, who was pushed off a subway platform by a deranged man in 1999, the law is a well-documented success that has protected the public while helping to keep mental patients out of hospitals and out of prisons. But the law also has well-documented flaws that must be addressed.

Under Conference Leader Dean Skelos, Republicans have gotten behind a bill sponsored by two upstaters, Republican Sen. Cathy Young and Democratic Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther.

The measure would extend the maximum term of treatment orders to one year from six months; require prisons, jails and mental hospitals to consider seeking treatment orders for mentally ill prisoners before releasing them to the streets, and stop patients from ducking supervision by moving between counties.

Unfortunately, Gov. Cuomo failed to include Kendra’s Law reform in his State of the State agenda. Even more unfortunately, Assembly Democrats have long been cool to the legislation. Now, though, while Sen’s death is still vivid in memory, all must act to enhance safety for the public and for the ill.


Democrats have their own bill to address the issue, which failed to make it out of an Assembly committee last year.

10 comments:

Anonymous said...

can citizens praise the first Dean of C.U.N.Y.Law School, Charles Halpern for "PUBLIC INTEREST " laws that keep the mentally ill out of mental health care facilities, and roaming the streets ?

Anonymous said...

Any proposed legislation would linger for years whilegroups like the ACLU fight tooth and nail to prevent it from ever getting passed. It will eventually wither away quietly, and in the next 5-10 years, after another subway push homicide, the same cast of clowns will once again "propose legislation".

Anonymous said...

can't we just cut all the PC crap and just euthanize them? Really, what value is there to society to keeping them around.

Anonymous said...

Anon No. 3:

And if one of them was a member of your family you would be saying what?

Anonymous said...

Mental exams should be required not just for guns, but for driving a car, getting a job, going to school, and walking on the street.

Anonymous said...

And if one of them was a member of your family you would be saying what?
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I would say the exact same thing. Family or no, if they are that far gone, and they are more harm to society than use, then they have no business leeching off civilized society.

Anonymous said...

what does Girrrrrrraldo have to say on this topic?

Anonymous said...

Nobody is protecting Councilman Halloran's constituents from his (now I'm being polite here) "kooky" behavior.

Mental exams
should be required of everyone running for office.

Ooops...
then we might wind up with only a hand full of elected officials running NYC. That's not very good.

Anonymous said...

And if one of them was a member of your family you would be saying what?
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Yes, i would. my grandmother is in a home right now, but as far as she is aware, she is in her apartment on the LES and its 1953. before we put her away, she would walk into the street, cut herself, etc. Her mind is gone. She became a hazard to the community, and so we got her off the streets.

There is not a single person in our family who doesn't wish we had a legal way to end this for her.

Anonymous said...

Yes, i would. my grandmother is in a home right now, but as far as she is aware, she is in her apartment on the LES and its 1953.
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I would volunteer to be put away if they promise that I would "suffer" from the same exact illusion. I hope I'm not making light of your siituation, I wish your grandmother all the best.