July 21, 2015 – Anna Mehler Paperny, Global News
A man accused of conspiring to commit an act of terror may be found unfit to stand trial after being found guilty, calling into question whether he was capable of committing the offense in the first place.
September 30, 2014 – Anna Mehler Paperny, Global News
Luka Magnotta has said he killed and dismembered Chinese student Jun Lin, but is seeking a designation of NCR – not criminally responsible.
If Magnotta is found not criminally responsible it would mean a mental disorder was behind his actions. Instead of going to prison, he would go to a forensic hospital where he’s kept and treated for however long it takes until the illness is abated and he’s no longer a danger to the public (or himself).
Feb. 28, 2014 – Global News
The federal government seized on the news this week that Vince Li, who beheaded a man on a Greyhound bus six years ago, has been granted unescorted trips outside the forensic psychiatric hospital where he’s been in custody.
Anna Mehler Paperny – Global News
The experts who’ve argued so vehemently against Ottawa’s bill cracking down on the most mentally ill offenders are preparing to implement it, even though the federal government hasn’t been able to produce any evidence indicating it’s necessary.
Anna Mehler Paperny, Global News
As the federal Conservatives push to stiffen sentences for mentally ill offenders, Ontario is beefing up a forensic psychiatric system under increasing strain – its user population has quadrupled in two decades.
Anna Mehler Paperny and Lindsey Addawoo, Global News
The federal government’s new rules for mentally ill offenders, meant to make public safety paramount, could do the opposite, critics charge – endangering public safety by putting sick people back on the street without the treatment they need.
