This is a sad sad way to find out that the administration in our countrys mental health system is long over due for change


http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/art ... wD9AQ8FGO0

1) It's not a "national" administration. It's one hospital.

BTW, federal rules would be even worse. Either recovered people would never get released when they should, or people would be released far too soon, or people would not have a support system when released. This is the kind of thing that needs to be left in the hands of the people who know the patients involved unless constitutional issues are involved.

2) It looks like he's a candidate for release (halfway house last year), so they wanted to see if he could behave around normal people. Might not be the best choice, but it has to be done.

3) The major issue I see in that whole story is that the administrator waited 2 hours before calling law enforcement. I'm not sure why the workers on the field trip didn't just call the cops directly, but they probably followed hospital procedures and spent the time keeping track of the other patients.

And they were probably hoping he had just gone to get cotton candy and would be right back. If I had screwed up that badly, I might try to disbelieve, too.

I agree that this sort of thing is best left up to the people responsible for treating and determining the mental state of the individual patient. I also think that since they should have that power, they must also bear the responsibility for failure to properly use that power. Even if he was in a halfway house, (before being returned to the hospital in an agitated state) a place that hectic and public seems like a poor choice for a field trip. I hope that the people involved for that choice are sacked, and obviously that the escapee can be brought back in without anyone being harmed.

Don't take 2 hours to get cotton candy. Angelita could buy out every stand on the fairgrounds and make offers on half the craft show in that much time!

They really ought to have a tracking device on these guys when they take them out.

I agree with Tony. It doesn't make much sense not to have them.