A Mother’s Perspective on Tim’s Law
Posted by Carol in Tim's LawMar 11th, 2009 | 3 responsesWhile I agree that prevention is the best cure,understand that it is not a matter of vengeance rather it is an issue of safety and accountability. The fact is that he is a very dangerous individual with an incurable disease. He has proven himself to be non- compliant with medication, that is how this tragedy came about. He left the treatment facility where he was diagnosed schizophrenic,catatonic state, against medical advice and refused to take his meds, he decided he was not ill and decided to listen to the voices in his head. Why was there no follow up on this “very disturbed” individual by the psychiatric community? They all certainly have a lot to say about how he should be treated now, after the fact. Why does the system give control of a “very disturbed”individuals care and treatment to that individual, when clearly they are not in a proper state of mind to make those decisions. I believe more in-put from the mentally ill persons family and friends needs to be considered in their treatment in order to prevent something as atrocious as this from happening. That being said, UNPROVOKED..INCURABLE..possibility of relapse even while medicated. I think the most humane thing that we as a society can do is treat Mr Li in a locked facility for the rest of his natural life for his safety and for our own. This man ate my sons eyes and approx 1/3 of his heart after cutting his head off his body,and removing many other body parts. Do I really need to explain that Mr Li, having my sons tongue nose and ear in a bag in his pocket absolutely screams to me NEVER FREE!! The only thing more insane than Mr Li’s illness would be for us as a society, to do nothing and allow him to one day be free to have the opportunity to do it again. Let me be clear here as well.. These people DO get out more often than you’d care to believe in often VERY short time(1-5 yrs for crimes this heinous), and thats wrong. In the verdict of NCR in this case, the issue of mental illnes is addressed but what about the issue of murder? if not Mr Li, who is accountable for the loss of my son’s life?? psychologically not accountable perhaps but absolutely criminally responsible. A crime was still committed here, negating that fact negates that my son had a life. Mr Li arrived in Canada in 2001 but did not obtain citizenship until 2005, the same year he was diagnosed Schizophrenic in Ontario, and the way the system works that diagnosis ceases once he crosses the border to another Province??? does any of this make sense???
3 Responses to “A Mother’s Perspective on Tim’s Law”
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Thank you so much for sharing – I wasn’t aware of the ramifications of the NCR verdict in this case.
I was fearing this potential outcome when I first heard that Li might be deemed insane and supposedly “unaware of his actions” last year at his arraignment. As an American, its difficult to follow Canadian news, especially with the Obama election/inauguration, unsettled economy, war(s), etc, but I tried to keep up with the case status as much as possible. Simply put: I’m just sick. How can the system fail a completely innocent victim? No offense to the Canadian judicial system, but this would be a “lock and trow away the key” type case in the states, or moreover, the death penalty considering the witness accounts. I think Li would be deemed “criminally insane.” And that would leave little room for him to ever see the light of day again. And let’s think about how this diminishes those who’s psychological conditions ARE treatable and non-violent. This puts them in the same category as heinous murderers like Li, which is unfair and unjust to their progress and future. I don’t wish for vengeance, only justice. My heart goes out to Tim’s family and friends. He is in a better place.
Having dealt with a loved ones schizophrenia for more than twenty years (and woken up on one occasion with a butcher knife to my throat), I feel for both families pain. It’s a horrible tragedy. Still, the actual number of violent outbursts (most schizophrenics are a danger to themselves, not others) are a statistical minority. Most schizophrenics are more likely to take their own life. I think perhaps energies are better spent making sure there are enough psychiatric beds available than petitioning for legislation that further stigmatizes mental illness in general. We should look forward, not backward.