Comments on: “Criminally insane killer escapes”

By: Harry W. Paul

Harry W. Paul — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 21:26:52 +0000

I am Phillip Paul’s uncle. He once told me that it was a darn shame that they didn’t figure out what was wrong with him before he did anything wrong!

By: Not a chance : I See Invisible People

Not a chance : I See Invisible People — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 14:49:09 +0000

[...] commented on another post: I’m not the first to make this point, but our nation’s “zero-risk” [...]

By: Terry

Terry — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 01:30:29 +0000

I just saw that report, too, A. I agree that since it’s recent it’s a factor, contrary to the earlier report.

I’m glad you agree with me that this shouldn’t bear on outings and socialization for other patients. So far I’m a minority of one writing about that aspect, and I’m seeing a lot of knee-jerking, both locally and nationally.

You’ve got me thinking about our risk-averse culture. Expect a post in the next couple of days.

By: Ahistoricality

Ahistoricality — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:44:19 +0000

Some unpleasant additional context: A Yakima County judge had ruled two weeks ago that Paul remained a threat to the public because of his aggressive behavior and his decreased awareness of his psychosis, The Spokesman-Review of Spokane reported Saturday. The newspaper reported that Paul had repeatedly tried to win full release from his court-ordered commitment, especially after fathering a child with a woman during a conditional release. So it's entirely possible that he shouldn't have been on this outing, but that's because of his recent behavior, and should have nothing to do with the rest of the outings program.

By: Ahistoricality

Ahistoricality — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 00:06:30 +0000

You did make it, but it didn’t seem that Ms. Paris-Wood got it the first time, so I repeated it.

Plus, nothing gets my dander up quite as quickly as “Surely history has shown us…” followed by something which no competent history student would accept as logical or well-supported.

We shouldn’t penalize or fear all mental health patients because one evaluated risk didn’t turn out as expected.

I’m not the first to make this point, but our nation’s “zero-risk” approach to life is going to paralyze us if we don’t start pushing back on it pretty hard.

By: Terry

Terry — Sat, 19 Sep 2009 22:33:11 +0000

Thanks, A – that’s exactly the point I was trying to make. It seems to have been a reasonable risk to take.

We shouldn’t penalize or fear all mental health patients because one evaluated risk didn’t turn out as expected.

By: Ahistoricality

Ahistoricality — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 17:18:02 +0000

Surely history has shown that this particular gentleman is a danger to himself and/or others

No. History has shown that he was a danger but has not been a serious flight risk or danger for over a decade.

when an individual pleads not guilty by reason of insanity and an agreement is then reached and the individual sentenced to a psychiatric hospital, do they sign away their rights regarding privacy?

Not only are his privacy rights in question, so are his due process rights and limitations on “cruel and unusual” punishment, including extended incarceration and forced medication (which can’t be imposed on “normal” prisoners).

By: Starla K. Paris

Starla K. Paris — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 06:01:20 +0000

I worked at a privately-owned psychiatric hospital previosly and it is not uncommon to take patients on field trips. There is a team that decides who attends and who does not and these events are never taken lightly.

To temporarily suspend all field trips is a wise response to the myriad of voices that are weighing in on this matter. It should not be permanent as reintegration and socialization is beneficial to all people in society. And while I don’t believe it is within the scope of responsibilities of the fair board to decide whether peiople with mental illness attend their fair or not, their security may have been notified of the possibility perhaps. I don’t know.

Surely history has shown that this particular gentleman is a danger to himself and/or others so in light of the evidence historically, I pray that he is caught soon and brought back into the safety of the hospital environment and his medications readministered. It is typically key to successfully managing schizophrenia – consistently taking the right medications at the right dose and at the right time daily. I pray that he and others remain safe and that he is taken back into custody without incident.
One last question: when an individual pleads not guilty by reason of insanity and an agreement is then reached and the individual sentenced to a psychiatric hospital, do they sign away their rights regarding privacy? Why would HIPPA laws not cover such an individual under these circumstances? My understanding is that even his psychiatrist has been interviewed and that he gave information to the media regarding his patient. Is this not a violation of his rights or did he sign them away in using the insanity plea? Just curious.

Starla K. Paris-Wood

By: neighbor

neighbor — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 04:29:22 +0000

I have several family members that still live in Sunnyside, a little too close for comfort to his possible final destination… They are a bit on the worried side.

I too hope for his safe return to the hospital… then everyone can sleep again…

By: wadro

wadro — Fri, 18 Sep 2009 03:37:28 +0000

“I Know Phil and despite what these reports say, he is a very nice, well mannered person who is trying very hard to live a normal life. He has been allowed out on his own on numerus occasions. Unlike what the police say, I believe that he is no threat to the public at all. Most of this is media hype.”