The Process of Pleading Mentally Ill After Being Charged
Pleading not guilty because of mental illness is not a get of of jail free pass. A mentally ill plea required you to admit to the crime committed and to prove that mental illness was what led you to commit it. These pleas usually result in years of mandatory treatment in a mental hospital. The […]
Options for Mentally Ill Offenders That Don’t Involve Jail
Many Americans with mental illness end up in jails and prisons each year. They also tend to spend longer terms in prison and end up back in prison costing local jurisdictions more money. They are typically jailed for nonviolent reasons and end up lacking the treatment they need. So what are other options for the […]
More Mentally Ill Peeople are in Prison than Hospitals
According to to the Treatment Advocacy Center more people suffering from mental illness are in jails and prisons than hospitals and mental health facilities. Using previously unpublished data from 2004 and 2005, TAC found that the mentally ill are three times more likely to be in jail or prison than in hospitals. Broken down by […]
What Does a Mental Health Evaluation Process Include?
A mental health evaluation is conducted by physicians to get an overall picture of how your mental health is. They’ll test how well you’re able to think, reason and remember by asking you questions and examining you either vocally or in writing. They will assess how you look, your mood, behavior, thinking, reasoning, memory and […]
Police Shoot and Kill Man Throwing Rocks at Police Station
On December 28th 2015, police shot and killed Lonnie Nelson at the Phoenix Police Department. Nelson was seen throwing “bricks or rocks” at Phoenix Police Department property including a patrol car and the station itself. Nelson was shot when he threw a brick at the officer confronting him. The projectile missed hitting the officer directly, […]
Woman Who Crashed Through Sky Harbor Gate Sentenced
You may recall hearing the story of a 24-year-old woman crashing her car into a Sky Harbor International Airport security gate. Back in November of 2012, when Koko Nicole Anderson crashed through the gate with her infant son, the public and media instantly slammed her, labeling her a terrorist and insane. However, with counsel from […]
Phoenix Police Department Starts “Mental Health Squad”
Law enforcement is a tough job, in many aspects, but one particular aspect—interacting with mentally ill civilians (who may be acting extremely erratically)—should be getting a little easier. A group has been started to assist officers interacting with the mentally ill, the “Mental Health Squad.” The squad consists of one sergeant and six officers, who […]
Police Union Lobby’s for New Legislation Around Rule 11
When a defendant is on trial and claims mentally incompetent, they undergo a trial under what’s known as Rule 11. Rule 11 is a two-part test that sees if the defendant is mentally competent to go through trial proceedings, understand them, and assist in their own defense. This is different than a defense claiming insanity. If […]
Understanding Arizona’s Rule 11
In the state of Arizona, mentally ill defendants have a right under Rule 11 to be examined for mental fitness concerning trial. If the defendant is suspected to be mentally incompetent, meaning unable to understand trial proceedings and assist in their defense, they will undergo a Rule 11 hearing. There must be substantial evidence of […]
Mental Health in the Spotlight in Drowning Case
A young mother in Avondale faces murder charges for the death of her two-year-old twin boys. The woman, who suffers from manic-depression, psychosis, and schizophrenia, told police that she drowned her boys in a bathtub because “nobody loved them and nobody loved her.” She claimed that she did not want her children to live a […]