Posted by deirdrehbrt on February 2, 2006, at 22:24:17
In reply to Re: Andrea Yates made bail » alexandra_k, posted by TexasChic on February 2, 2006, at 21:37:03
I disagree a bit with Alexandra. I don't like the idea of "sentencing" someone for a specified period of time to a hospital. What Andrea did was a symptom of illness, not a deliberate act of violence. It's like someone having a sudden heart attack while driving and killing a family in another car. If this person survives the heart attack, should they then be brought up on charges for vehicular homicide as would a repeat offender drunk driver?
Both of the above cases were the result of illness, severe and uncontrolled. There are other cases when someone gets angry and beats someone to death, and the insanity defense is tried, but in those cases, the person does know what they are doing. That isn't illness, that's just acting out on anger. That person should be imprisoned.
I think that Andrea is going to have a near impossible time recovering from this incident. To have to wake up every day for the rest of her life listening to the silence of her missing children, and knowing that she created that silence would be horrible beyond belief. Though the act wasn't her responsibility, she shall pay for it for the rest of her life.
I think she deserves treatment. Her doctor failed her. I think her husband needs education. He needs to know Andrea's warning signs, and needs to remain vigilant. Andrea needs support from her local mental heath agency, people who will remain involved in her life and quickly notice changes.
She will maybe need life-long monitoring of her condition. I do not think that that monitoring should take place behind bars. As I said, she will suffer for the rest of her life.
--Dee
poster:deirdrehbrt
thread:605510
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20060124/msgs/605678.html