arildno
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Precisely.Vanadium 50 said:This is unconstitutional in the US. (See O'Connor v. Donaldson) There is an exception if the person is "dangerous to himself or others", but there needs to be some evidence of the danger - "he looks creepy" is not enough. As a practical matter, it would be difficult to incarcerate such a person before his first act of violence.
This is the result of the juridical and institutional changes in psychiatry, not just in the US, but most of the Western World since the 1960s.
Prior to that, "he looks creepy", "he is so odd" WERE considered sufficient reasons to lock up eccentrics.
Predictably, "she is an immoral wh*re" or "he is a depraved homosexual" were sufficient reasons as well, in some cases...
I am not saying that we should reverse the sound shift made back in the 60s, but it has left us with a greater number of misfits making trouble for themselves and others that we really haven't been able to find a rational, properly ethical way to deal with.
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