The hurdle for the release of a psychiatric patient classified as dangerous is “extremely low”, criticized a psychiatrist after the killing, which was allegedly carried out by a schizophrenic man.
• Also read: The suspect was free, although he could be dangerous
• Also read: The suspect’s family have maintained their innocence
• Also read: The suspect is said to have suffered from mental health problems
“One cannot be against the virtue of restoring freedom to people when they are not dangerous, but when the time is right [de les libérer]it’s not that simple,” says Gilles Chamberland, a psychiatrist at the Philippe Pinel Institute.
The latter lists the few discharge conditions often asked of his patients that could endanger the safety of the public: not using drugs, taking their medication regularly, and living in an approved place.
Photo agency QMI, Maxime Deland
The young man, who is said to have shot and killed three unidentified men within 24 hours, was recently released by a court despite posing a “significant risk to public safety”.
Last March, Abdulla Shaikh, suspected of the arbitrary murder of three people in recent days, had to agree to meet those kinds of criteria in order to be released.
“We rely above all on the goodwill of the patient and the monitoring capacities of hospitals, which are absolutely not equipped for aftercare,” criticizes the specialist.
Possible relapse
The problem is that many patients miss taking their medication after leaving the hospital and may have a dramatic relapse.
“When a schizophrenic’s condition is stabilized, he is no more dangerous than anyone else. But an individual in psychosis is more dangerous than the common man,” recalled Mr Chamberland.
The latter would like the Mental Disorders Review Board to be able to impose conditions that take into account this risk of recurrence for patients with a history of dangerousness.
Because if the discharge of patients treated in psychiatry usually goes smoothly, “there are cases that we escape from,” he says.
Watch out for amalgams
In addition, forensic psychologist Suzanne Léveillée warns against equating mental health problems with violent crime in general.
“You have to deal with a lot of nuances to avoid stigmatization,” emphasizes the professor from the University of Québec in Trois-Rivières.
As a specialist in the psychological and psychosocial problems of murderers, she recalls that other criteria are taken into account to assess a person’s dangerousness, such as criminal records and current family conflicts.
Do you have any information about this story that you would like to share with us?
Do you have a scoop that might be of interest to our readers?