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Washington The tragedy in Connecticut has reopened a difficult debate over whether states should be allowed to involuntarily commit the mentally ill.
The trend over the decades has been to release mental health patients, with a number of court cases restricting involuntary commitment. Last weeks deadly rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School exposed cracks and inconsistencies within the nations mental health system. Many say that until those problems are fixed, its only a matter of time before another national nightmare unfolds.
Its a cultural and mental health problem and its something we need to address soon and seriously, former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told Fox News. We need to balance individual rights with the needs of the community.
Ironically, a Connecticut mental health bill calling for changes that could have taken someone like shooter Adam Lanza off the streets was defeated earlier this year in the state legislature. The bill would have allowed the state to commit someone if there was a reason to think that would prevent them from harming others.
Read more:
Connecticut killings reopen debate on forcibly committing the mentally ill | Fox News
The trend over the decades has been to release mental health patients, with a number of court cases restricting involuntary commitment. Last weeks deadly rampage at Sandy Hook Elementary School exposed cracks and inconsistencies within the nations mental health system. Many say that until those problems are fixed, its only a matter of time before another national nightmare unfolds.
Its a cultural and mental health problem and its something we need to address soon and seriously, former Homeland Security Secretary Tom Ridge told Fox News. We need to balance individual rights with the needs of the community.
Ironically, a Connecticut mental health bill calling for changes that could have taken someone like shooter Adam Lanza off the streets was defeated earlier this year in the state legislature. The bill would have allowed the state to commit someone if there was a reason to think that would prevent them from harming others.
Read more:
Connecticut killings reopen debate on forcibly committing the mentally ill | Fox News