No mention of the gouging of the victims of the system who must pay 10s of thousands to be defended in court. THAT is what makes access to courts impossible for the lower-middle class and the poor; it may even make them inaccessible to the middle class.
Many people live with mental illness. That doesn't necessarily make them to have no knowledge of the crime, that it was wrong, and they deserve to be accountable--to pay their dues**. However, there are times when a sentencing be melded with some form of psychiatric care. Discerning that is difficult. Mandatory sentencing is a quick fix, but needs some sort of mitigation. There has been way too much of that by the system--yet our current prisons are overcrowded so badly, the problem is compounded.
**ie Depression, OCD, FAS. As opposed to autism, psychosis, Alzheimer's etc.
Some illnesses fit both sides like: manic-depressive disorder. In a manic phase sexual promiscuity, extreme paranoia, delusions and psychosis are normal. That same person a week later, can be depressed and facing consequences of these actions.
Its the undiagnosed mentally ill that both jeopardize and are jeopardized by the system.
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