CNN iReport

November 21, 2009

I hold a high regard for the Mentally Ill persons. I do know that they suffer from a no fault disease and that there are several different diagnosis, with all separate levels of intensity and ranges. Their overall capacity to take care of themselves varies, as well as their productivity in everyday life.

There is a severe need for us as a society, to begin to rethink justice in our system when it involves the mentally ill person.

Our prisons in America are being left to deal with the mentally ill prisoners, that to my knowledge are not equiped with prison guards trained in the field. This leaves a frustrated guard, a mentally ill persons special needs unmet, and our prisons overcrowded. It's a shame that we as a society don't hold these group of people up and take a stand for them, and notice the extreme need for more Psychiatric hospitals.

They say that many of our death row inmates suffer from a severe mental illness or very low IQ's. I am not advocating for the mentally ill person to receive anything but what is constitutionally appropriate. Killing in the name of justice; a person with mental illness is wrong, but so is letting them fall through the cracks and get out of life sentences to allow them to sit beside us on public transportation, putting all in his/her reach vulnerable.

An example of my frustration is a man sentenced to 120 years and believed to be mentally ill, was to do his time in a State Hospital in Salem Oregon. Here is a news snippet I copied from the Oregonian newspaper

** Here is the story of the crime he committed***

The judge ruled that all four shootings constituted attempted murder even though Godeka asked Kerry Chipman, his attorney, to argue that he didn't mean to kill anybody. When it was over, the judge asked Godeka whether he had anything to say.
Godeka asked the judge to let him go.
Born and raised in Nairobi, Kenya, Godeka is the second-oldest of nine children Once a successful small-business operator, he came to the United States in about 1979 and was a student at Clark College in Vancouver, WashGodeka had a history of mental illness going back more than 20 years. He was involved only briefly with the church, had made threats against it in San Francisco, and in 1994 threatened to kill church employees in Portland if they did not pay him 50,00 dollars.

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So the Salem Oregon hospital was so run down that they are refurbishing the hospital. This man was transferred out to a facility in Eugene Oregon and what is not mentioned is that he was placed in a non-profit secured facility called Shelter Care [a United Way sub]. After speaking with some former employees, they gave me the real heads up on the facility. It might be called "secured" for the sound of it because these people inside are not within bob wire or tall fences to jump over. Instead the fences are standard and do in fact show repairs from past residence's who have jumped the fence. It happens quite often. This facility has outside walks each day with staff, so the clients are out then. They can smoke cigarette, up to a pack a day, and have computers, t.v.'s, stereo's, cell phones. They wear their own cloths and are taken shoping at local Wal-mart's and chaperone to the community theaters for Saturday night movie night. The only thing that constitutes "Secured" is the locked front door.

So although I sympathize with the Mentally ill person and uphold my beliefs that they need special accommodations when they are incarcerated; I by no means meant accommodations like these! In June 2005, Godeka was moved from the state hospital to a secure residential treatment facility in Lane County. ** After Salem Oregon Mental Hospital sends him to Eugene where he gets all these amenities, he then gets another court date.

Review board grants two requests from man responsible for 1996 Scientology shooting

By

{the following within parentheses are my comments on the articles statement about case}

The man responsible for shooting four people at Portland's downtown Scientology Celebrity Centre in 1996 took a step toward greater independence this week.
The Oregon Psychiatric Security Review Board on Wednesday granted Jairus Chegero Godeka's request to get to and from his job without a staff chaperone. **

October 29, 2009, 9:17PM