Martin Ross"Martin Ross was convicted of assault in 1898. His stay at Leavenworth was short. He was found to be insane and was sent to the Government Hospital in Washington, D.C. (Records of the Bureau of Pensions, RG 129)"
Cited in Rives and Spence |
Virginia Gerstad"Valley Times article dated October 21, 1960 partially reads, "An Encino housewife was convicted today of attempting to murder a Sherman Oaks doctor and shooting his nurse and was committed to the Patton State Mental Hospital as insane." Made accessible through a grant from the John Randolph Haynes and Dora Haynes Foundation and Photo Friends."
Cited in Dean |
Friends' Asylum for the Insane"This lithograph depicts the first private psychiatric hospital in the United States as it appeared in the early 1830s. Known as the Friends’ Asylum for the Insane, it was founded in 1813 by the Society of Friends (also called the Quakers) and opened to patients in 1817. The institution stood on land that formerly was a 52-acre farm in Oxford Township, near Frankford, six miles (10 kilometers) northeast of the center of Philadelphia."
Cited in World Digital Library |
Science and the Insanity Plea
Jared Loughner, who is most known for his 2011 Tucson shooting involving Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, appeared to have voluntarily planned and thought out his crimes, however his behavior may have been due to a disordered or diseased mental state. Neuroimaging studies show that a criminal's brain system functions voluntarily, just like the rest of the population. However, these studies also show abnormalities in the area of our brains that control our ability to feel empathy and control anger. Even though a person with this type of mental state would still be able to function voluntarily, abnormalities like these would contribute to their urge to commit crimes.
Should such a disorder be an excuse for their voluntary behavior? Probably not, but it might provide extenuating circumstances that could influence sentencing." -Dr. Beatriz Luna
Dr. Beatriz Luna, "the director of the Laboratory of Neurocognitive Development, where she uses neuroimaging methods to understand the development of voluntary control," in response to crimes committed by Jared Loughner.
Photos of Bloomingdale Asylum for the Insane
In 1806 the governors of the New York Hospital erected a building for the insane. All was well, although there were some inconveniences. The building was small and jail like which didn't allow for much patient amusement. Once the governors caught wind of the issue, they opened up the grounds and created a large yard for classes and a garden for leisure. New York Public Library Digital Collections |
St. Luke's Hospital was erected by Rev. Dr. W. A. Muhlenberg. Its land was owned by the Episcopal Church. The hospital, in its day, could hold over one hundred patients, all of whom were nursed by the voluntary "Sisters of the Holy Communion." Patients who could pay were required to; however, those who could not pay were received without charge. New York Public Library Digital Collections |
To read more about curing mental illness, click below.
Minnesota Momento
The Story of Kyle Zwack
via an interview conducted by American Public Media
Kyle Zwack grew up in Roseville, MN however, at the time this interview was conducted, he was living in Oak Park Heights, MN in a maximum security prison.
He graduated from Kellogg high school in 1980. He then went on to the University of Minnesota where he studied mechanical engineering. It was during his time at the University of Minnesota that he claimed his struggle began: "I became mentally ill, paranoid schizophrenic and manic depressive. I was expelled from the University and severely beaten in the Hennepin County jail by one of the deputies. After that I went out and bought a gun."
Zwack, at the time of the interview, was on Risperdal, an anti-psychotic medication. It causes twitching and shifting but at least it stops his hallucinations and quiets the voices present in his mind. However, he only started this medication after he succumbed to the hallucinations and delusions on February 11th, 1986.
As Zwack drove out of Houston, Texas toward Minnesota, he was fully armed and planning a mass murder. One of his friends tipped off police that he had weapons, which was in violation of his parol at the time. Before Zwack could get out of Texas, he was pulled over. He jumped out of his truck and fired 27 armor-piercing rounds at the police. The seven police officers on the scene fired back 25 bullets simultaneously. Zwack was hit three times: twice in his bullet proof vest and once in his neck. He then aimed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger. But, he was unsuccessful in his attempt so he re-cocked and pulled the trigger again. However, he failed to kill himself once again. Zwack begged the officer, aiming his gun at Zwack through a truck window, to do it. The officer pulled the gun away and Zwack was arrested. Zwack ended up wounding only one officer in the psychiatric induced shootout. Nonetheless, the D.A. charged Zwack with attempted capital murder of law enforcement officers and sought maximum punishment. The man prosecuting Zwack, Andy Tobias, asked for a life sentence. Zwack pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but even so, the jury convicted Zwack and sentenced him to 45 years in a state prison. A federal judge later added an additional 17 years because a federal agent was present at the shootout. Although he is officially a Texas state prisoner, he was able to live out his 62 years in Minnesota so he could be closer to his family.
Zwack, at the time of the interview, was on Risperdal, an anti-psychotic medication. It causes twitching and shifting but at least it stops his hallucinations and quiets the voices present in his mind. However, he only started this medication after he succumbed to the hallucinations and delusions on February 11th, 1986.
As Zwack drove out of Houston, Texas toward Minnesota, he was fully armed and planning a mass murder. One of his friends tipped off police that he had weapons, which was in violation of his parol at the time. Before Zwack could get out of Texas, he was pulled over. He jumped out of his truck and fired 27 armor-piercing rounds at the police. The seven police officers on the scene fired back 25 bullets simultaneously. Zwack was hit three times: twice in his bullet proof vest and once in his neck. He then aimed the gun at his head and pulled the trigger. But, he was unsuccessful in his attempt so he re-cocked and pulled the trigger again. However, he failed to kill himself once again. Zwack begged the officer, aiming his gun at Zwack through a truck window, to do it. The officer pulled the gun away and Zwack was arrested. Zwack ended up wounding only one officer in the psychiatric induced shootout. Nonetheless, the D.A. charged Zwack with attempted capital murder of law enforcement officers and sought maximum punishment. The man prosecuting Zwack, Andy Tobias, asked for a life sentence. Zwack pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity but even so, the jury convicted Zwack and sentenced him to 45 years in a state prison. A federal judge later added an additional 17 years because a federal agent was present at the shootout. Although he is officially a Texas state prisoner, he was able to live out his 62 years in Minnesota so he could be closer to his family.
Jailing the Mentally Ill
A Minnesota Public Radio and National Public Radio American RadioWorks® special report
A Minnesota Public Radio and National Public Radio American RadioWorks® special report
The following report highlights the actual circumstances put forth upon the mentally ill in our nation's jails.
For more information about life in prison, click below.
Jails: America's Mental Hospitals
An American RadioWorks® Inside Story
The beginning of this story starts with Dorothea Dix in Massachusetts back in the early 1840s. After being in jail herself, she witnessed the living conditions in jails for the mentally ill and dedicated her life to advocating that the mentally ill should be placed in more humane institutions than jails. Her campaign led to the construction of roughly 30 mental institutions in Massachusetts and some surrounding states. However, a lot has changed since the 1840s. There are now, according to the U.S. Justice Department, more than 280,000 mentally ill people in jail or prison– this is more than 4 times the number in state mental hospitals. American RadioWorks® correspondent John Biewen is looking into why.
Visiting Hennepin County Jail
There is a man named Steven. He sits enclosed in a thick plexiglass cell, cross-legged and naked. Sergeant Ron Riordan informs Biewen that Steven had an outburst the other day– banging on the windows. Steven has also tried to hang himself so the jail staff has restricted his clothing so he can't wrap it around his neck. This is why Steven is naked.
Sergeant Riordan oversees the intake process where on average 51,000 inmates a year are searched and signed in. It is there that they ask a list of medical questions ranging from the inmate's use of medication to any psychologic problems they may have.
The jail has nurses on staff 24 hours a day and is visited by psychologists several times a week. There is also a special section of cells, where Steven is held, that is for inmates that have shown aggressive or suicidal behavior.
Steven was arrested for trespassing– a charge that normally has little or no jail time. However, Steven's attorneys argued that he was incompetent to stand trial so he will remain in jail for 6 weeks until a hearing is scheduled.
Sergeant Riordan oversees the intake process where on average 51,000 inmates a year are searched and signed in. It is there that they ask a list of medical questions ranging from the inmate's use of medication to any psychologic problems they may have.
The jail has nurses on staff 24 hours a day and is visited by psychologists several times a week. There is also a special section of cells, where Steven is held, that is for inmates that have shown aggressive or suicidal behavior.
Steven was arrested for trespassing– a charge that normally has little or no jail time. However, Steven's attorneys argued that he was incompetent to stand trial so he will remain in jail for 6 weeks until a hearing is scheduled.
The Justice Department says mentally ill inmates generally serve longer sentences than those without mental disorders because they're more likely to break rules or get in fights."
Cited in Biewen
As Biewen notes, The Justice Department estimates that one in every six inmates across the country, has a severe mental illness. Most are arrested for relatively minor offenses and cycle in and out of jail repeatedly. Further fueling the belief that jails are becoming America's mental hospitals.
For more common opinions on jails, click below.