tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post7913078292200668374..comments2024-03-28T00:50:16.901-05:00Comments on Life at the Harris County Criminal Justice Center: Mental HealthMurray Newmanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00662196272138109874noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-31562275198346270422011-04-11T18:44:29.717-05:002011-04-11T18:44:29.717-05:00Working on it, Anon 5:42 p.m.Working on it, Anon 5:42 p.m.Murray Newmanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00662196272138109874noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-73242753908099931652011-04-11T17:42:39.253-05:002011-04-11T17:42:39.253-05:00Let's go Newman, get back on the clock. Patty ...Let's go Newman, get back on the clock. Patty was in the nation news as reported over at Grits.<br />Get on this.......Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-47893089099991194942011-04-11T11:10:04.701-05:002011-04-11T11:10:04.701-05:00Murray,
Having experienced a similar situation, ...Murray, <br /><br />Having experienced a similar situation, I can only imagine what you have been through. My thoughts and prayers go out to you and your friend's family.<br /><br />Mental illness is an awful thing to endure and even more awful for those of us on the "outside looking inward" who can see the deterioration of a loved one to the point of death. The system does suck (to put it bluntly)!<br /><br />Hang in there and keep up the good work you do for others, but first and foremost... Take care of yourself and your son. <br /><br />I really enjoy your blog and your thoughts on the state of our criminal justice system here in Harris County. <br /><br />Stay Safe.<br /><br />Matt DexterAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-7383955150976220512011-04-11T09:01:36.893-05:002011-04-11T09:01:36.893-05:00Murray,
Been reading your posts on this. I feel...Murray,<br /> Been reading your posts on this. I feel for you and I am very sorry for your loss. Keep strong.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-49881310955431479702011-04-10T16:03:27.210-05:002011-04-10T16:03:27.210-05:00You're not be selfish hoping he never sees the...You're not be selfish hoping he never sees the light of day; you're being a responsible parent and rational human being. I can't imagine what it must feel like to be on someones hit list. Knowing that a shift of fate (maybe he got distracted by a barking dog or some other stupid trivial event that meant that he didn't get around to killing you or your son that day). I would find it hard not to think about that how close fate came to kicking you out of the game for good.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-12630900161170005742011-04-10T15:03:18.293-05:002011-04-10T15:03:18.293-05:00I am very sorry for this family. Their grief must...I am very sorry for this family. Their grief must be complicated and confusing. It will be a long time before they probably can even sort out their feelings.<br /><br />I am a mental health professional who has worked on cases like this for about 20 years.<br /><br />The short "answer" is that each case is different.<br /><br />In order to find out what "went wrong" an experienced person would have to spend a lot of time reviewing medical records, criminal records, interviewing family members and friends, and knowing how to compare all of that to research.<br /><br />It is easy to say "the system failed" or "someone just should have (fill in the blank)."<br /><br />The answer is always more complex. <br /><br />Mental illness generally does not cause someone to use violence like this. It can be a contributing factor, of course. From my experience, it is a combination of things: mental illness, substance abuse, personality issues, life experiences, family dynamics, and so on. <br /><br />It isn't fair to assume that someone who is dealing with a common mental health issue (like depression) is in danger of hurting those around him or her.<br /><br />It also isn't right to say that because there is the presence of a mental illness, that a person IS NOT responsible for her or his choices and actions.<br /><br />This is a complicated issue and those of us who work in the CJ system need to understand as much as we can about it.<br /><br />NAMI is a good place to start - here is a link:<br /><br />www.nami.orgAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-62593786255502235432011-04-10T11:50:33.132-05:002011-04-10T11:50:33.132-05:00How do you know that unless YOU were the one doing...<i>How do you know that unless YOU were the one doing the writing?</i><br /><br />Because his point was pretty clear. <br /><br />RageAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-43193675197234694482011-04-10T10:38:21.462-05:002011-04-10T10:38:21.462-05:00Re: "(that the mentally ill truly cannot be h...Re: "(that the mentally ill truly cannot be held responsible for their own decisions because they are not rational), is the problem that the other poster tried to point out.."<br /><br />How do you know that unless YOU were the one doing the writing?Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-84167151983385988702011-04-09T20:56:10.820-05:002011-04-09T20:56:10.820-05:00I remember the first time I lost a client who had ...I remember the first time I lost a client who had become a friend (unfortunately I have seen 4 to 5 clients die tragic deaths over the years). I was devastated because so much potential had been lost. It affected my entire practice. Just then another lawyer told me, "We are litigators, not litigants." That resonated with me. It reminded me that working in the criminal justice system can be taxing emotionally and that I needed to distance my self to protect my self. I still care and invest emotionally in my cases, but I remember that I am a litigator. Just saying.....<br /><br />Eric J. DavisSustained!https://www.blogger.com/profile/07079995896627726404noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-64664645797420936132011-04-09T20:50:19.260-05:002011-04-09T20:50:19.260-05:00Murray wrote: "In the end, selfishly, I have ...Murray wrote: "In the end, selfishly, I have to hope that he never sees the Light of Day."<br /><br />From your mouth to God's ears.11:30pmnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-61734560932540991542011-04-09T20:43:20.338-05:002011-04-09T20:43:20.338-05:00You're a courageous person and am so pleased t...You're a courageous person and am so pleased there are folks like you making the world a better place.Chris Attrellnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-4809638579456862342011-04-09T20:32:14.039-05:002011-04-09T20:32:14.039-05:00System? In this guys opinion we don't really ...System? In this guys opinion we don't really have a "system" for dealing with mental health issues.<br /><br />Given the recent progress in understanding the brain and neurology it's way, way past time to start having discussions about the nexus of the criminal justice system and mental health.<br /><br />Maybe you and Bennett can lead the charge. You guys have a sort of yin-yang thing going on.Ron in Houstonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02496306119920809104noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7566778230970156239.post-21396577218677217592011-04-09T15:22:07.169-05:002011-04-09T15:22:07.169-05:00The divide between what people see as a political ...The divide between what people see as a political issue (being tuff on crime) and what in reality is an issue of justice (that the mentally ill truly cannot be held responsible for their own decisions because they are not rational), is the problem that the other poster tried to point out, although his timing was terrible, in a post a few days ago.<br /><br />When we see the mentally ill for what they are, as opposed to just thinking they need to be put down, we will be one step closer to justice.<br /><br />It's a shame that it takes events such as this for people to open their eyes to that fact.<br /><br />And of course, being on the list, nobody could fault you for wanting him to stay locked up. It appears to be his only alternative at this point.<br /><br />RageAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com