John Hinckley Jr., the man who tried to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981, has been granted more time outside the mental hospital where he's been confined for almost three decades.
U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman ordered that Hinckley be allowed to visit his mother's home in Williamsburg, Va., for up to 17 days at a time, tacking a week on to the 10-day visits that were already permitted away from St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity after he shot Reagan and three others on March 30, 1981.
The Associated Press says:
U.S. District Judge Paul L. Friedman ordered that Hinckley be allowed to visit his mother's home in Williamsburg, Va., for up to 17 days at a time, tacking a week on to the 10-day visits that were already permitted away from St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C.
Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity after he shot Reagan and three others on March 30, 1981.
The Associated Press says:
` The Washington Post said:"Hinckley must make at least eight successful 17-day visits away from the hospital before any requests to increase his time in Williamsburg beyond that will even be considered.
"In court hearings before the ruling, Hinckley's lawyer, Barry Levine, had asked for his visits to be expanded to 17 and 24 days, arguing that there is no evidence Hinckley is a danger to himself or others. Attorneys for the U.S. government, however, argued that Hinckley is 'capable of great violence' and told the judge that granting expanded privileges was 'premature and ill conceived.'"
"Friedman wrote that Hinckley's depression and psychotic disorder are in full remission and that he had not displayed violent behavior in more than 29 years."
I don't know a lot about the details regarding the history of this event and have not looked into it but I understand why people would be worried to have a man who has committed such a severe crime would be allowed "free with reservations" out in public. I think that had this been a person related to a school shooting involving the slaying of many innocent children than they would not be allowed out in public at all if the public were to have a say in their punishment. But we don't like it when our rights are diminished, and so we have allowed "loopholes" in our legal system that allow people such as this man who shot Reagan to still have some freedoms reserved. Are we in the mood of saying that if its our rights then heavens no lets not weaken them, but if it was a criminal of some sorts than lets get rid of them altogether. We need to have better minority representation when dealing with the majorities."Friedman's order also allows Hinckley to drive alone to specific destinations — which Levine said will help him integrate in Williamsburg — though it requires he carry a GPS enabled cell phone during unsupervised activities. Friedman wrote that court and mental health officials would evaluate Hinckley's progress after eight 17-day visits."
I agree, Jiffy. I think that if we do not punish people for what they have done, and we give them "maximum freedom" past the point that would be just, then we begin to fall apart fundamentally as a society. Somebody who tried to shoot our president, regardless of which president it was, should not be granted freedoms like this.
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