When NCR patients disappear from psychiatric care, it’s actually a sign that the system works
Illustration by Mary Kirkpatrick
Written by: Simon Lewsen | Published November 24, 2019 | The Globe and Mail
To many people, the term ‘not criminally responsible’ is like the get out of jail free card in the game Monopoly. It’s an opportunity to walk away from a criminal infraction, free and clear, because the offender claims he was mentally unwell at the time of the incident. All that’s required is a brief stay in a comfy hospital.
What many people don’t realize is proving someone is not criminally responsible (NCR) is no easy task. And that comfy hospital is a place of rehabilitation with no pre-determined end date. This is the oft misunderstood world of ‘Forensic Psychiatry.’
The following Globe & Mail article by writer Simon Lewsen sheds a little light into this complex area of mental health, and makes for a compelling read.