Mentally Ill? You're Off to Jail!

Current laws do not allow people who have severe personality disorders and who have committed an offence to be detained. Well, not anymore!

A new Government Bill which would allow the enforced detention of people who are mentally ill, even if they have not committed a crime, is on its way.

The Goverment wants to give the right to force patients who have been released into the community to take their medication, even if they do not want to do so.

The Government also wants to allow the detention of people with personality disorders who are described as untreatable, whether they have committed a crime or not!

The reason why the Government is taking a close look at changing the law was largely driven by Michael Stone's 1998 conviction for the murders of Lin and Megan Russell.

These changes and introduction of a new bill would allow between 15,000 to 500,000 people to be locked away whether they committed a crime or not.

Whilst my deepest sympathy is extended to the family, friends and associates of Lin and Megan Russell and the unmitigating abhorrant crime of murder, somewhere the scales of justice are rather lop-sided for me personally with this new legislation.