Criminally Responsible or Criminally Insane?

When I first heard the story that an individual on a bus decapitated another and proceeded to chop up the remains among other unconscionable acts of horror, right away I knew the man was certifiably insane. It was not premeditated, and whether the victim "triggered" the act by saying hello or even glaring over with a dirty look, the maniac who committed the crime is unquestionably criminally insane.

As time passed I forgot about the incident, preoccupied with elections on both sides of the border and a global economic meltdown. That was until today when I turned on the news and found that the psychopath was deemed by a judge to be "not criminally responsible" and that he would be subjected to psychiatric care, treated, and potentially released after whatever period of incarceration is deemed appropriate by the attending physician. Seriously??? So if Dr. Jekyll pumps him full of valium long enough for the guy to seem "normal" in the opinion of the doctor, the man is released and God tells him to kill again; I absolutely believe that doctor should be held "criminally responsible".

Yes, he's insane. Nobody will debate that. Perhaps then we lock him in a padded room instead of mixing him into our prison population, but does anybody in Canada question just how dangerous he is? I sincerely doubt it. I would endeavor to compare the criminally insane against the criminally responsible who also commit murder, like perhaps a mob hit man. The Hit man might kill 50 people before being caught, and he will be rightly incarcerated for the rest of his natural life. In the event that he were set free to resume whacking wise guys and others involved in illegal activities; if you are just a normal law abiding citizen your probability of getting wacked should you encounter this individual is remarkably low. He is doing what he is doing for financial gain, and there is logic that can be applied to his pattern of murder that normal people can avoid becoming a victim to by applying basic common sense.

Now compare that to Vincent Li. Should you encounter this madman, even looking at him the wrong way may induce his "God" to Express Post a priority message that you are to be beheaded and mutilated. I have no problem designating a violent offender as criminally insane, but I have serious doubts at the ability of a team of shrinks to rehabilitate him to such a state where he can safely be released back into the civilian population. In my opinion he should be locked up in the Arkham Asylum, give him his meds if you must, but releasing someone that dangerous, that unpredictable, and that illogical to a bus stop near you is downright criminal in my books...