Tag Archive for: civil commitment

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This Teen Planned a School Shooting. But Did He Break the Law?

It was sunny and cold on Feb. 13, 2018, when 18-year-old Jack Sawyer walked out of Dick's Sporting Goods in Rutland, Vt., with a brand-new pump-action shotgun and four boxes of ammunition. The next day, Valentine's Day, Sawyer took his…
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Prisons Are Housing Mental Health Patients Who’ve Committed No Crimes

Andrew Butler was a popular kid at Hollis Brookline High School in New Hampshire, an honors student who was captain of the football and wrestling teams. Then, during college, Andrew tore his leg muscles, making even walking to class difficult.…
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Sex Crimes and Criminal Justice: Formerly Incarcerated Sex Offenders Say Civil Commitment Programs Deny Proper Rehabilitation – The Washington Spectator

In this article, journalist Barbara Koeppel reports on the problems with sex-offender treatment programs. Read more.
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New Laws Force Drug Users Into Rehab Against Their Will – The Daily Beast

Several states have begun enacting involuntary civil commitment laws for people who with substance abuse issues. Read more.
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John Hinckley Left the Mental Hospital Seven Months Ago – New York Magazine

In 1982, John Hinckley was tried for an assassination attempt on President Ronald Reagan. On June 21, a jury found him not guilty by reason of insanity and Hinckley was confined to a psychiatric care institution until his release in 2016, when…