Quite often, once someone is in a mental institution they do not leave. Especially the ones that have committed crimes like murder. It's not exactly a place to become healthy.
Sometimes they will release an older patient who is not expected to live much longer and allow them some normalcy at the end of their life. There's an ulterior motive for this - based on conversations I've had regarding the subject with those who most likely would know. I believe it has something to do with final costs - burial etc. If they go to state or county housing for a short while the institution is free from having to be responsible for any of that. Not 100% sure about that, so MOO.
But I think a mental hospital would be an awful place to live and I feel confident that LS would not be getting out for at least most of the rest of her life.
Of course I'd still rather have her rotting away in prison, but if she ends up NGRI... well I think of it this way: You wanted everyone to think you were insane, LS, so here you go - enjoy the life you picked for yourself - being treated as if you are insane along with a bunch of fellow insane inmates. Sounds like a crazy awful time.
What bothers me the most is I feel that justice for Gannon will not have been served entirely and that makes it hard for his family.
I agree that the truly mentally ill generally never leave the mental institution.
The first Colorado NGRI defense case I ever followed was James Holmes (Aurora Theater shooter), and I've long said that if Holmes did not meet criminal insanity, little chance for other defendants.
Not only was Holmes a schizophrenic with a long history of mental treatment right up to the murders, but at his arraignment, the defense requested the Court delay Holmes entering a plea, granted by the Court, and Holmes was soon after sent to CMHP for treatment, and entered a plea about 90 days later.
Holmes's trial was also delayed several times because he was in treatment. Once competent to stand trial, the jurors found the state proved him sane, the Court sentenced him to multiple life sentences in the DOC.
To be clear, nobody doubted that Holmes wasn't crazy (mentally ill), but argued he was not criminally insane pursuant to the law.
I'm not questioning the jurors' verdict --Holmes told doctors how and why his actions were wrong, and my point is that there are truly mentally ill defendants-- bordering insanity, that commit crimes-- and are nothing like LS and her faked disorders.
In this case, Holmes only spent about a month in prison (Department of Corrections) before being sent to the mental ward (CMHP) for treatment where he's remained ever since -- about 8 years now (2015).
www.courttv.com
