• Woe to those facing criminal prosecution with a mental health background.

    I have never seen a more viscous display of hypocrisy and a total lack of compassion for a human being than what I witnessed and heard in the court room today.

    My brother has been under mental health care and disability for over 15 years.

    He committed the heinous act of trespassing on public property and has been in jail for over 30 days now. He was finally given a motion hearing after much hand wrangling from the court over how to handle his "case".

    They've basically suspended his rights until yet another "psych eval".

    In the meantime, he has absolutely no clue why he is in jail other than the what his mentally unstable and constantly deteriorating competency can conjure up while being held in the "suicide unit" of the jail. He wears what amounts to a very large napkin all day. He is not allowed to eat with utensils. He is not allowed to have any contact from the outside.

    I cannot even throw money at the feet of a private lawyer to represent him because even family and friends who are in the legal profession say that while the court is considering my brother's mental health, the defense hands are tied.

    It's a freaking sick joke of a "system". He's getting worse and worse. He's lost probably 30-40 pounds, hes obviously lost his mind.

    The judge tells me her number 1 priority is for the "safety of the public". I asked her where does my brothers rights and safety rank on her priority scale, and she has the fucking audacity to tell me that it doesn't matter since he cannot put together a legal defense in his mental state!

    The public defender is just another state prosecutor in disguise and told me that my brother has to "pay the consequences" for violating the law!?!! WTF!!! He trespassed, what possible consequences beyond what he's already had to go thru can there be?

    Oh this is just how the system "works" they say. I cannot possibly imagine how bad things would be for him if he did not have his entirely family constantly pushing the issue with the court.

    I can totally see a much much worse path ahead if the court can simply deem someone incompetent to hear charges based on mental history and effectively hold that person indefinitely until that person IS deemed competent.

    The court absolutely refused to hear from anyone until AFTER their decision was made. My brother as told that today would bring resolution for him. My brother was convinced to take a plea deal (which is probably in his best interest since he's confessed to jumping the fence on public property and setting up an art show in the band shell without a permit.)

    Now, he'll likely be in jail another 30 days waiting for the court to determine that he is competent to hear charges and take the plea. It's just about the most inhumane and evil way to handle an otherwise peaceful human being who simply wants to make the best of a life that dealt him a bad hand.

    ARRRRGHGGGGGGHH!!!!!!


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