Tuesday, May 02, 2006
They got him.
They caught the guy who escaped from the St. Peter Regional Treatment Center 18 days ago this morning. He was finally caught when he was featured on "America's Most Wanted" on television, and someone in Kansas Ciry recognized him and called the authorities. The idiot was still driving a car he stole when he first escaped. I've often heard police say that most criminals are pretty low on the mental food chain. I believe them.
Minnesota has a somewhat unique way of dealing with hard core sex offenders. Once they've served their prison sentences, most of the worst ones are then "committed" indefinitely to one of two "treatment" centers for "rehabilitation." Just one little problem. They haven't been able rehabilitate one single "patient" since the system started back in the mid to late eighties. Every single one of them are still in the "hospital" population, and they're adding more every year. It's sort of become our own little Guantanamo system. These people disappear into it, and are almost never heard from again.
Now, don't get me wrong. I'm really glad these guys aren't on the loose. They're notoriously hard to "cure" and indeed, most never will be. What bothers me is that the reason these guys escaped (Three others also got loose in the plot, but were captured within an hour.) is that they've no real reason to believe they'll ever be released, and I'm convinced this produces a feeling of hopelessness that will cause some amongst them to try anything to get out. And I'm afraid that once out, knowing they'll probably be caught again, will "live it up" so to speak while on the lam and re-offend. I fear for their future victims because knowing they'll be sent back if caught, the perps may feel no need to allow the victims (witnesses) to continue to live.
The whole problem with this scenario is that the two facilities were never really meant to hold people like these. They're state "mental institutions" that have been modified to hold the new population. Because we've been committing so many to "treatment" they're becoming very overcrowded. To compensate, the "hospitals" have been hiring new staff. It's been noted that the staff's inexperience may have part of the reason these guys were able to get loose through a broken window. In the aftermath of this embarrasing escape, fingers were pointed, committees are being formed, and We'll (The taxpayer) be dumping more money into the places in an effort to make them more secure, but being what these facilities are, I'm not convinced it'll ultimately do any good. There's plans afoot to build yet another "treatment facility" at a cost of millions to, you guessed it folks, the taxpayers.
If we intend to lock 'em up and throw away the key, (Not entirely a bad thing.) we need to become honest with ourselves, and these "patients" and revise our laws. We need to consider life-with-no-parole sentences for hard core offenders. That's what we're doing now in an extremely backhanded way. But if we come clean and admit to ourselves that's what we ulitimately really want to do with these folks, then instead of a "hospital" they'll be sent to a maximum security prison, from which escape is MUCH more difficult. But it will require us to be honest with ourselves about our intentions. Honesty about these sort of issues is not something Americans in general and politicians in particular are very good at.
"The most exciting phrase to hear in science, the one that heralds new discoveries, is not 'Eureka!' (I found it!) but 'That's funny ..."
Isaac Asimov
Comments:
<< Home
With all due respect to your State, they need to quit pretending crap is table decorations. Hard core sex offenders can never be rehabed. Ask any shrink.
As for the rest, good thought provoking post. But there's one thing Minnesota is going to have to face, probably sooner than later. They can either A)Continue to play pretend rehab and shuck out the big bucks, B)call them what they are - hard core criminals and put them with the criminals with a never get out sentence, or C)eliminate them. You figure out what that means.:)
BB
Post a Comment
As for the rest, good thought provoking post. But there's one thing Minnesota is going to have to face, probably sooner than later. They can either A)Continue to play pretend rehab and shuck out the big bucks, B)call them what they are - hard core criminals and put them with the criminals with a never get out sentence, or C)eliminate them. You figure out what that means.:)
BB
# posted by 
: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 6:26:00 PM
: Wednesday, May 03, 2006 6:26:00 PM << Home
