The Nashville district attorney called on Wednesday for the Tennessee legislature to make it easier to commit someone to a mental institution after a man who was previously released for incompetence to stand trial was accused of shooting an 18-year-old college student in the head.
Belmont University student Jillian Ludwig, of New Jersey, was walking on a track in a local park when she was shot and critically wounded at about 2:30 p.m. Tuesday, according to the Metro Nashville Police. They arrested Shaquille Taylor, 29, after surveillance video and witness statements pointed to him as the shooter.
“Taylor was shooting at a car when a bullet hit Ludwig in the head as she walked on a track in a park across the street,” police said on social media when announcing the arrest Wednesday.
Yes he should have, but under 24-hr supervision.
Herein lies the biggest issue with those who suffer from severe mental health issues … warehousing them in a jail is stupid, yet that’s what happens almost every single time.
Maybe instead of increasing cop’s budgets exponentially, take 30% of that money and invest it in supports for people who need it, esp mentally ill people.
We mostly need jail that’s not 100% punitive. If there were mental health services in there and a LOT less abuse, there should be zero issue with “locking up” mentally incompetent people: it would be exactly the 24/7 observation and help you’re asking for.
We had those in the US, but Reagan shut them down instead of properly regulating them.
Because they were literal shitholes in decrepit buildings who had loooong histories of viciously abusing their residents.
The problem was they needed to be shut down, but first local supports needed to be put into place for them. Instead Reagan just booted people into the streets with zero money, zero training and zero supports. This was the start of the massive unhoused population increase you see playing out today.
Btw the same thing happened at the same time in Canada, because we had a right-wing gov’t who was Reagan’s lapdog.
No, they didn’t need to be shut down. They needed to be regulated and funded.
Byberry opened in 1907 and closed in 1990.
Trans-Allegheny opened in 1863 and closed in 1994.
Willard Asylum opened in 1869 and closed in 1995.
Danvers opened in 1878 and closed in 1985.
These are just a few in the institutions that closed. As you can see the buildings were extremely old, so refurbishing/rebuilding them without fed funding (Reagan cut it in 1981) was impossible without massive tax increases neither the feds or states wanted.
The stories attached also tell of abuses that occured in each institution.
Bullshit.
Reagan cut funding as part of his “trickle down fails yet again like it always has” and that is why they weren’t funded. No increase was needed, slashing funding was the problem. Don’t repeat Reagan’s lies.
source
People needing mental health care should NEVER be in a jail. Full stop.
If he’s functioning at a kindergarten level he actually should legally be under 24 hour supervision, just like a kindergartner.
He should also have as much access to guns as a kindergartner ( zero).