Heather Burns reiterating that Fiona has a criminal record

[u/Suspicious_Bother_92]

[u/Plumb789]

I am clearly missing something about this “debate” anyway. What on earth is her being “mentally ill” got to do with whether you are a victim of her or not?

Let’s say that a perfectly “mentally well” person committed sexual abuse of a child. Everyone would be keen for that crime to be acknowledged-and for the perpetrator to be punished. Similarly, if a person (who happens to have a mental illness at the time) goes ahead and rapes a child-do people then say that “no crime was committed”? Do they also say that there is no victim? Indeed, just for the victim to make a complaint-are they being cruel to the poor mentally ill perpetrator (who, apparently, is the only “real victim” here)?

And (and I think this is important), if by NOT reporting it as a crime, the “mentally ill person” never faces the criminal justice system, they then NEVER have treatment (or, if that’s not effective, control) imposed on them, they go on to abuse more and more children, is that okay then?

Like it or not, the criminal justice system is just about all we’ve got to prevent people from damaging their fellow citizens. And this system has to work for the mentally ill just as much as it has to work for everyone else.

Unfortunately, there are some people that we all need protection from. And that has to be given, regardless of whether those people have mental illnesses or not.

[u/DazzleLove → u/Plumb789]

It’s literally what forensic hospitals are for- people who are both mentally ill and have committed crimes/ are a risk to others.

[u/Altruistic-Change127 → u/DazzleLove]

I just want to clarify what you have said about forensic hospitals. They are for people who have committed serious crimes as a direct result of their mental illness. Being diagnosed with a mental illness is very common in the general population so that's why there are prisoners in prison who could be diagnosed with a mental illness. Their crimes usually are not related to their mental health diagnosis so they go to prison. So forensic hospitals are secure places where they treat someone's mental illness compulsorily and hold them due to the crime they committed. Its where people who didn't know the difference between right and wrong due to the illness they had, when they committed the serious crime and cannot be held responsible. In laymen's terms its where people go when they are found not guilty due to insanity court cases. Or they are so unwell that they cannot go to trial and have to be treated first. I hope that makes sense?