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You can't say definitively, but let's take Jared Loughner's case. Most likely his case wouln't have happened, because he'd have been institutionalized for violent schizophrenia. It's possible that Adam Lanza would've been the same way, though with less certainty.
I have first hand experience with this and in that era. My uncle was schizophrenic. He spent several stints in Eastern State Mental Hospital in Miami, OK. He was the nicest guy in the world, when he was on his meds. When he got to thinking he was all better and went off his meds, you didn't want to be anywhere near him. It was 'effin scary as hell.
Back then it was possible to get someone with a dangerous mental condition off the streets before they hurt themselves or someone else. Post 1980's, it's MUCH more difficult. From the street officer to the FBI, everyone I work with who has to work with EDP's knows it's an uphill battle. Detain the subject for safety, call COPES, wait forever for some underpaid counselor(s) to come and do a brief assessment, during which the subject has had time to calm down and recognize that if they don't play nice in front of the counselor, they'll go on a 72 hour hold at someplace like Laureate and so on... So they straighten up for the counselors and avoid the hold. Absent a criminal act to lock them up at county on, they're released own recognizance. How many subsequent calls are made after that? LOTS.
Further, the homeless population EXPLODED once they turned out all the mental institutions. People who couldn't function in society were suddenly without a viable support structure. They were sent back to families ill equipped to handle them. Most couldn't hold down jobs, maintain normal healthy relationships and simply preferred to walk away. They went to the streets and never left. they become a danger to themselves, passeerby and their fellow homeless. It's truly sad how we've failed these people.
I'm not saying I'm for locking everyone up against their will, but the system we have now is truly broken. It serves no one's best interests. We should try to do better.
I blame it on crazy people that should be in a mental hospital.
And if the Aurora shooter's shrink(who was caught giving herself, friends, and family meds) or the campus police had called in instead of blowing off the threats he made when he left the school it might not have happened.
And if Lanza's shrink hadn't been busy screwing patients(he destroyed Lanza's files and fled the country) maybe he'd been paying more attention and that wouldn't have happened.
Anybody see the long list of schools fined for violations of the Clery Act(reporting crimes and threats to outside authorities) recently? Didn't Jared Loughner's school fail to report him to outside authorities? Maybe we need to look at all parts of the system?
Can't lock them up for making threats if nobody reports their threats
Well you're not wrong, but the system is set up to reward those who pass the buck. If the system is working against doing it the right way and everyone around you is doing it, you either go with the flow or leave the field with a bloody forehead. That's no way to fix things.
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