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Provide them treatment. do you think that we are ready to move unit 20 s meal schedule to the way it was? grenda is the director of the the violent sexual offender unit. for nearly 30 years, she has cared for patients in atascadero. her job is to oversee every aspect of the treatment for these patients. like other patients in atascadero, the sexually violent predators live in single rooms or dorms. the rooms are small, only 6x10 and the windows are lined with metal grates that block the sun and prevent escape. the doors are made of heavy steel and locked from the outside. the bathroom and the shower facilities are shared with other patients in the unit. unlike other patients, these men can t be subdued with medication. they are under constant watch by the staff. i m not here to judge my ....
Because you ve done really, really well, or you don t do well and we can extend you involuntarily at the end of the parole. what do employers look for? tommy? the knowledge and the skill involved or the task involved. it is rare for this group of patients to stay at atascadero for more than 14 months. okay. any other criteria that the employer is going to look for? even though most of them have a long history of violent crimes, about half of the so-called mentally disordered offenders will be released. to make this law work, the patients have to get good treatment here and get the kind of treatment they would get if they were not here and where the medications really well is a skill and a art. without medication, most of the patients here would not be able to function much less control the violent behavior. atascadero s pharmacy is perhaps the single most important place ....
This is the place where some say you come face-to-face with evil. this is where about 500 of california s sexually violent predators live. atascadero is home to one of the nation s largest collection of sexually violent predators, and that number is expected to increase. the overwhelming public sentiment is to lock them up, throw away the key, no matter what the cost, just keep them away. since 1995, california has been doing just that. instead of setting the convicted child molesters and rapists free, the state has been locking up the worst of them and only a few of them have been released. it is not a matter of whether or not i feel sympathy or not, the law says that this particular patient population will come to us for treatment, and that s our job, is to ....
Quarter of a mile long, connect the various wards of the hospital. electric vehicles used for maintenance share the halls with the patients and the staff. at any given time, patients line the corridors for meals, to go into the courtyards, or to go to various groups and activities. lock boxes for police and staff line the hallways. inside are restraints and protective clothing. red lights also line the corridors. when activated, they flash to indicate the location of an incident. so, we will have you take a deep breath and hold your breath. even though most of the patients have been in and out of prisons, their introduction to the hospital can be an overwhelming experience. it will take nearly a month to fully process a new patient into atascadero. carla says that the sexually violent predator should not be housed with other patients at ....
They are here at the california hospital for the criminally insane having already served their prison sentences. i can distance myself from what they have done, and i think it s not too much different than distancing myself from a patient who has committed murder or has beaten and robbed somebody. if i hold on to that and think about that, then i m rendered ineffective as a treater. well, as usual, we start off with a check-in to 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 police themselves. at atascadero, they use therapy, voluntary chemical castration, ....