05-25-2008, 07:45 AM
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Senior Member
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Join Date: Nov 2006
Posts: 1,390
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SillyLilRose
Yes, he's close to 30 yrs old. His Jury trial is coming up very soon. He's looking at 10 yrs in prison as far as I know. The court is charging him with aggravated burglary which is a first degree felony. People that really know him feel kind of sorry for him simply because of his mental problems & the lack of funding for his meds. I know at one point I had wanted to personally & legally have him comitted to a mental institution altogether. BUT, the laws for me as his mother, even make that complicated & it would take a while fighting the court system just to do that. I saw a documentary on TV once where they claim that prisons in this state have become the new mental institutions...while the real mental institutions keep closing.....it's such a shame. But thank you for your input as well. The regular attorneys around here want a $2,000 retainer fee before they even touch anything, so that one is probably out of the question. I feel that my son is another person lost in the system all because of lack of funding for medication that would have kept him under control to an extent that nobody would have been harmed in this situation. As for the drinking & the marijuana, he had never done it before until he started being denied for funding for medication. Even last year when he comitted hisself to an institution he hadn't drank or smoked by that time. The mental institution released him within a week because he was doing good on the medication he was prescribed by them. Once that ran out, he went way down hill.
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There is a difference between a retainer and a no cost evaluation. If that is not a possibility ( either one ) I would go to court yourself and have him declared unfit to care for himself and get yourself appointed his guardian. Be advised, though, he then becomes your responsibility as he was when he was a child. But, doing so can allow YOU to commit him whether he likes it or not. This sounds cruel, but help is so much better than prison. If you need help doing this, perhaps a legal clinic in the area can help you. Also try the public mental health clinic in your area. Or, just go to the courthouse and ask them how do I accomplish this goal? Usually, while they cannot tell you what to do, they can give you THEIR forms to fill out ( but cannot tell you how to fill them out, or advise you if you even should, or if they are suitable for your particular situation.)
I had a friend who had to do this after Hurricane Katrina. Her mentally challenged son disappeared during Katrina and they thought he had perished. A year later, she gets a call from a hospital in California who had him and was trying to find someone to take and care for him. A week later, he was on her door step. He started getting into trouble, doing irrational things like taking the car, driving it until it ran out of gas and then just leaving it in the middle of the road. She went to court, had him declared unfit ad became his guardian and was able to put him in a state funded group home with other young men like himself and he has flourished since that time. He bathes, grooms himself ( he used to walk the street without clothes on at times ) and even works at a fast food restaurant full time. Having the proper care changed his life. He stands tall, looks you in the eye when you speak to him , instead of slumping over, walking the streets all day waiting for someone to befriend him.
Hopefully, with loving parents such as yourself, your son can get this illness under control and lead a full and productive life.
My best to you both.
Last edited by GentleGrace : 05-25-2008 at 07:49 AM.
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