all the time, maybe in second-hand hand me down clothes. i look towards the family to see exactly financially where they stand economically and also sociologically, meaning where is the family structure, is the mother and the father living together? if not, then perhaps maybe that would be something that can be used quote on quote to my advantage. harry is one of the few men in the sdp population that has a mental illness. his diagnose? psychosis. but harry and his therapists say he s nowhere near being near release. i ll watch certain movies because certain actors are on them, less than 18 years of age. one of the things that gets me is our society is so adamant
are called mentally disordered offenders or mdos. they make up the largest number of patients at atascadero and they have a long history of illness and violent criminal behavior. i hurt my girlfriend, i hurt my mother. she claims that i knocked her eye out. these patients are here on parole. they ve already served out their prison sentences, but they are here because they are considered too dangerous to be released back into society. it s male and female voices, no one i know, just they bother me. they needle me and push me and sometimes i i can handle it, and sometimes i can t. doctors and therapists know for many of these patients, there is no cure for their illness. for these patients, their only chance at a so-called normal life here at atascadero or on the outside is staying on medication.
monstrous crimes. they are here at california s hospital for the criminally insane, having already served their prison sentences. i can distance myself from what they ve done, and i think it s not too much different than distancing myself from a patient who s committed murder or has beaten and robbed somebody. if i hold on to that and think about that, then i m rendered in effective as a treater. well, as usual, we start off with a check in, see how people are doing. very few of these men have a diagnosable mental illness. their violent behavior cannot be cured with medication. instead, treatment consists of helping the patient find and then maintain a level of self control. in effect, they are taught how to take care of themselves.
for court is? i understand in the court proceedings. each patient goes under similar reviews at 30, 60, and 90 days. they re evaluating his adjustment to his medication as well as his behavior. in 1998, the state began a crackdown on hundreds of patients suspected of faking insanity to avoid prison time. armed with new guidelines, prosecutors, judges, psychiatrists, and hospital staff can now better detect those criminal defendants who try to con the legal system by pretending they have a mental illness. but for those who aren t faking an illness, they are treated and medicated so they can stand trial for their crimes. peggy thomas, unit supervisor, has been working with patients at atascadero for 18 years. they need to understand all of the roles of the people who are in the court. so we talk to them about the prosecutor and what he does.
sdps and has heard many compliants. if you put yourself in these shoes, you understand why. many people have been in prison for a long time, thought they were going to be released, then they are told they are going to a forensic hospital and are not sure what situation they are getting into. long time advocate for the mentally ill, karla jacobs, has heard the same complaints. the sexually violent predator law pretends that people who have committed crimes have a illness that can be cured. when psychiatry is used to control sexually violent predators, what we are effectively doing is using the psychiatrists as a form of social control when, in effect, that is the job of prison guards. i committed my crimes well