New study reveals that more than half of the people executed in this country are mentally ill. Oh my god!

Courtesy of the Washington Post:  

A new study by Robert J. Smith, Sophie Cull and Zoë Robinson, published in Hastings Law Journal, of the social histories of 100 people executed during 2012 and 2013 showed that the vast majority of executed offenders suffered from one or more significant cognitive and behavioral deficits. 

One-third of the offenders had intellectual disabilities, borderline intellectual function or traumatic brain injuries, a similarly debilitating impairment. For example, the Texas Department of Corrections determined that Elroy Chester had an IQ of 69. He attended special education classes throughout school and never functioned at a higher level than third grade. The state had previously enrolled Chester into its Mentally Retarded Offenders Program. Despite these findings, Texas executed him on June 12, 2013. 

More than half of the 100 had a severe mental illness such as schizophrenia, post-traumatic stress disorder or psychosis. For example, for more than 40 years, Florida’s own psychiatrists found that John Ferguson suffered from severe mental illness. Ferguson had a fixed delusion that he was the “Prince of God” who could not be killed and would rise up after his execution and fight alongside Jesus to save the United States from a communist plot. When Ferguson was executed on Aug. 5, 2013, his last words were: “I just want everyone to know that I am the Prince of God and I will rise again.”

On Ferguson's belief that he was the "Prince of God," the Florida court stated that his delusions were "normal Christian beliefs." Which is very troubling but may be the result of how many Christians have been acting lately.

I am shocked by these statistics, even though I have long been aware that many mentally ill people are sent to prison as criminals, when instead they should be sent to psychiatric hospitals as patients.

I work this population all of the time and I can tell you that their behaviors can be incredibly challenging, especially those who are schizophrenic of have psychotic episodes.

However if they receive the care they need, and the medications they require, they can sometimes live reasonably happy and productive lives.

Throwing them into a cage and ultimately killing them for something they may have had no, or little, ability to control is inhumane and a travesty of justice.

But the problem is that this country has little problem shoveling piles of money into the prison system to warehouse the mentally ill, or execute them, yet balks at the money needed to prevent them from becoming criminals and providing the support they will need for their entire lives to enjoy the freedom that is their birthright as Americans.