Even terrorists can be mentally ill

Independent.co.uk Britons are angry that the suspected perpetrator of a New Year’s Eve terrorist attack has been detained under the Mental Health Act, said Caitlin Morrison. Witnesses said the unnamed suspect, age 25, shouted “Allah!” and “Long Live the Caliphate!” as he stabbed a man and woman at Manchester’s Victoria train station and then wounded a police officer who tried to subdue him. All three victims are recovering. Once it came out that the suspect had been taken to a mental hospital rather than to jail, the backlash on Twitter was swift and fierce. Some Brits felt that labeling the attacker ill would stigmatize other mentally ill peo- ple as potentially violent. For many more, though, the designation was a sign that the justice system was trying to cover up what was clearly terrorism. They called it further confirmation “that the U.K. is being destroyed due to ‘PC gone mad’ policies.” But the decision to commit a suspect to a mental health facility isn’t made by police trying to whitewash a crime; it’s made by medical professionals. Only people deemed to “need urgent treatment for a mental health disorder” will be committed. After all, “the rights and protections afforded by mental health laws don’t just apply to people we approve of.” Even criminals deserve health care.