It's not pleasant, and I agree that being mentally ill doesn't excuse anyone from the responsibility for what they do, or at least to get help somewhere from someone who can help them maintain control. I think that maybe they should call it "guilty by reason of insanity" instead of not guilty.

There are different degrees of severity and circumstances though. Maybe we can't really know what was going on for someone else, or what they might have tried as far as getting help.

I have a brother who is schizophrenic and he has been in jail for the past year and a half for molesting our younger sister who has Down Syndrome (and also she was 17 at the time). My brother had been diagnosed a number of years earlier, and had been on meds, but his doctor was worried about negative impact on his health and decided to change the meds. The new meds were not working out for him. For several days he tried to tell someone that he was not in control and something was going to happen. My mother drove him around to hospitals and none would take him because they weren't convinced that there was any imminent danger. My brother turned himself in, and I understand that he was nearly suicidal over what he had done. In jail they held him for months, just observing him and not allowing any treatment. What he did was bad, but the system really did fail imo.

All I know is that in cases like these, I'm glad that I am not the judge either for the mortal realm or more especially for the hereafter.

Sincerely,
Rap