N.M. Court Testing Program in Which Mentally Ill People Accused of Felonies May Avoid Jail (AP Sept 27, 2003) - Commentary by Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD

http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/US/ap20030927_539.html

  N.M. Court Tests Program for Mentally Ill
N.M. Court Testing Program in Which Mentally Ill People Accused of
  Felonies May Avoid Jail
 
  The Associated Press
 
  ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. Sept. 27 - State court judges in Bernalillo County are
  beginning a program in which mentally ill people accused of felonies
  might be able to avoid jail by agreeing to treatment and other
  conditions. 

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
FB: This is a plea bargain of sorts; wear the
psychiatric disease label we give you and accept all of the psychiatric
treatments for it we prescribe (drugs almost always, ECT, frequently and
possibly psychosurgery) and you are a free man/women]

  The court will monitor participants in the pilot program to make sure
  they take prescribed medication 

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
depot injected drugs and drug
levels most likely]

, and will keep tabs on them through home
  visits and searches 

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
and GPS anklets or LoJack for humans]

.

  "The idea is to get them out of jail and into some kind of intense
  therapy," said Rachel Saiz, who is coordinating the program for the
  court's pretrial services unit.
 
  Once pretrial services finishes eligibility screening, prosecutors will
  make an offer to dismiss charges or permit a plea once mental health
  treatment is completed 

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
Is the mental "disease" ever cured, is
treatment ever completed]

.
  Eligibility will be limited to people diagnosed with serious mental
  illnesses who face third- or fourth-degree felony charges such as
  burglary, car theft or felony shoplifting. People facing charges of sex
  crimes or child abuse are not eligible.
 
  District Judge Neil Candelaria said the program, designed to stop repeat
  offenses, will be launched with 30 defendants who have volunteered to
  participate.
 
  The program was being discussed when a homeless mentally ill man, Duc
  Pham, shot an Albuquerque policewoman in July, then was fatally shot by
  officers attempting to detain him. Pham had multiple arrests in his
  background, but had repeatedly been found incompetent to stand trial.
 
  Since the late 1990s, 70 mental health courts have been established or
  are in the planning stages, according to a September report by NAMI, a
  national advocacy group for the mentally ill. 

[Fred A. Baughman Jr., MD:
No surprise to see
NAMI, surrogate for Big Pharma, involved. They will, no doubt claim by way
of informed consent (from the parens patriae, the court) that each mental
"illness" is a "disease".]