Reagan Shooter Hinckley to be Released

I hope his mother has a good support system at her disposal.

That's a very interesting observation. The one mention of her I heard in reports of this that was anything more than perfunctory was sort of insensitive - that she is in her 80's, so Hinckley had better be making a plan about where he will live afterward.

As long as he continues to receive psychiatric help and is closely monitored, I figure give him a chance. There are plenty of people who have done far worse, not claimed mental illness as a defense and have been released, some with good results and some with dreadful.

I am also wondering about Jodie Foster's thoughts on this. Was she informed and/or did/does she think it's a good idea?

Respectfully snood, I don't find the comment about her age and making sure future plans are being made is insensitive. It's practical and even helpful.

Fact is, she is almost 90, not 80. I hope to God she's made plans. She's my big concern in all this.

I have a cousin near 80 who has a son with Downs, who is now in his 40's. He's got a job and everything, but he'll never be able to live totally on his own. She's made all the plans on when she dies.

Speaking from personal experience, I wish when I was going through a very hard time caring for someone that people had been, if that's what it's called, less sensitive. I had 3 people in my life that gave me any concrete advice and help, and 2 of them were a married couple. All the rest were like people who make comments of no practical help on a news story like this one.

She knows what she's in for, and I agree with Jes that I hope she had a good support system, and will be insensitve enough to find out if she's made future plans, and offer to help with them.

Yeah, I agree with you that it is wise to suggest she be making plans. But the remarks I heard were about Hinckley making plans because (the insinuation was) his mom might not be around very long.

Well, Hinckleys aware of that too. He knows his mom is 90. Sorry if I haven't read the article through to see what is mental status is as far as being able to make these type of decisions. Is he incapable of it?

Let me go look.

But, if he's able to function well enough that he can plan on what to do when his mom is gone, he should be doing this.

from the link

long list of conditions, ending with

Ok, from the article...

"He must live with his mother in Williamsburg for the first-year of his full-time release and after that, following an assessment by his team, he may reside alone or with roommates within a 30 mile radius of Williamsburg."

So yeah, he's only got to live with his mom the first year, and has to decide what to do after that, or before if she's still alive.

So he's able to make those decisions, and knows his mother is very old. He should be making these plans.

heh, cross posting with ehBeth.

Yeah, there has got to be a plan in place. And that would be true even if she were 30. Anything can happen.

It's a one-year plan with so many treatment and reporting requirements that it could be tricky for him to manage to stay out. Which might be what the plan is. Then again, he has apparently done all right on the partial release so far.

It's worth mentioning that this judge's decision can still be overturned.

He is expected to jump through so many hoops he may not be able to organize his life, successfully.

The only reason he is in this position is that his insanity defense was successful.

If you accept that the verdict based on that defense is just then you pretty much have to accept where he is today.

I would like to think the Secret Service, at the very least, will keep a close eye on him, but there's a reason certain criminals are put away for life: They can't be trusted not to commit similar crimes again.

Time will tell. I just hope no one is injured or killed because of a mistake made with this would-be murderer.

Did you see what the "plan" was for keeping tabs on the Islamist who killed the French priest?

Hopefully he is safe to release, the only thing I have heard in recent years that at all indicates otherwise is that he was reportedly punished for bringing in material about Jodie Foster. Hope he's still not obsessed with her decades later.

It might dampen his interest when he learns she's gay (if he hasn't yet).

I have no idea if his fixation on her is even sexual. In any case hopefully he's in a better place now and safe to be out and about.

Din't discourage me. She was hot before, and was after.