What Do You Have To Do To Get "life" In Prison?

[VHG]

So this man kills FIVE people in 1978 and goes into a mental institution.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-29507450

In 1994 (only 16 years later) he is allowed out on the streets. Only about 3 years for each murder.

In 2013 he is arrested again for possessing firearms and making a bomb and is now under trial.

Surely even if he was mentally ill when he killed those 5 people in 1978 he should not have been let out so quickly.

Even if he no longer had those mental problems surely he should have then continued his "prison" sentence in a normal prison.

People like Dennis Nilson and the Yorkshire Ripper were mentally unbalanced when they committed their murders, and they are still in prison.

So why was this man let out so "early".

[andy-hughes]

Medical experts will have assessed him based on standard criteria for release, and found him to fulfil those criteria.

They can, and do, get it wrong, it's tragically as simple as that.

[sandyRoe]

I think this man pleaded guilty to manslaughter due to diminished responsibility and the court accepted that plea. He was sent to a secure hospital.
Once the doctors deemed him 'cured' out he came.

[Old_Geezer]

I have no problem with someone being in a mental institution if their brain isn't working well enough for them to be in society. The putting of them there implies a decision that they should not be held responsible as they could not help themselves.

Any issue surely is whether there is an error in thinking they had been "cured". As just an average guy with no specialist knowledge I'd feel uncomfortable about taking that chance unless the evidence of a cure is indisputable.

[jno]

sounds like the system's working properly, doesn't it? He's locked up in a mental institution for years; they let him out, he starts doing odd (but not violent) things again and is arrested and tried and likely to go away for ever.

My only query would be why he was harassing someone for four years before the current charges - but that's not really what you were asking about.

[BlackadderV]

The defence of Diminished Responsibility only came in with the Homicide Act of 1957, largely as a result of two high-profile executions in the early 50s. By reducing the charge to one of manslaughter it meant imprisonment rather than the gallows. It became a convenient prop on which to hang (no pun intended) a defence when the evidence of guilt was overwhelming, but sometimes it did not work (see R v Terry). The defence of insanity also rarely worked (see R v Podola).

[dunnitall]

All a matter of opinion isn't it. Should be set rules that have to be adhered to IMO.

[hc4361]

Nilsen was considered to be sane and found guilty of murder. As far as I know he has served his sentence in various prisons and has not been in a secure hospital.

[BlackadderV]

^^...as was Ian Brady, though later found to be insane (but not at the time of his crimes) and transferred to a criminal asylum.

[Zeuhl]

He wasn't sentenced to 'Life'

He was found to be mentally ill and detained indefinitely - which means 'any time up to for ever'




/People like Dennis Nilson and the Yorkshire Ripper were mentally unbalanced when they committed their murders, and they are still in prison./

Not exactly.

Sutcliffe was found to have acted with diminished responsibility and so is not in prison - he is in Broadmoor secure hospital and will never be released

Dennis Nilsen was found to possibly have borderline personality disorder but that was not sufficient to prevent a guilty verdict for Murder - so he is in prison and will be so for at least 25 years

Williams/Street was considered to be better in 1994 and no longer a risk
We don't continue to then punish people for something they did because they were ill.

Clearly he has relapsed since, but at least they dealt with him before he hurt anyone else

[jno]

Nilsen's original sentence was changed to a whole-life tariff, so he won't be out.

[Zeuhl]

you're right about Sutcliffe divebuddy

his paranoid schizophrenia was only confirmed after the trial - he's another who will never be allowed out

[mikey4444]

I saw this in the Guardian and I couldn't believe it either !

[douglas9401]

What Do You Have To Do To Get "life" In Prison?

I don't know the answer but for a proper lengthy sentence, steal money.

[ludwig]

He obviously told them he was all better now and didn't feel like killing anyone else.

[bazwillrun]

Exactly Ludwig....
Weve seen how well "qualified" our social services qualified parole people are in the past....a bunch of easily fooled do-gooders it would seem