Michelle Carter, a 22-year-old Massachusetts woman, will soon start serving a 15-month prison sentence on the charge of "involuntary manslaughter for coercing her boyfriend into committing suicide."
The court stated the following in its ruling:
"The crime of involuntary manslaughter proscribes reckless or wanton conduct causing the death of another. The statute makes no reference to restricting or regulating speech, let alone speech of a particular content or viewpoint. We are therefore not punishing words alone, as the defendant claims, but reckless or wanton words causing death. ... The evidence against the defendant proved that, by her wanton or reckless conduct, she caused the victim's death by suicide."
Both Ms. Carter and the victim, Conrad Ray, came across as mentally and emotionally disturbed, in desperate need of professional help. I have three questions for the court: 1) How can a person be guilty of manslaughter for another person's suicide?, 2) Why didn't these two individual receive the professional help and care they so needed?, and 3) How is prison more beneficial to Ms. Carter, her future, and those around her than a mental health facility?
Suicide is defined as "the act or an instance of taking one's own life voluntarily or intentionally." Manslaughter is defined as "the crime of killing a human being without malice aforethought, or otherwise in circumstances not amounting to murder." So how is it possible for a person to kill another who took their own life voluntarily or intentionally? This doesn't make any sense to me. From a definitional standpoint, the two can't coexist. If one is guilty of manslaughter, the victim didn't commit suicide; and if the victim committed suicide, he or she wasn't killed via manslaughter.
Sadly, we don't spend nearly enough time, energy, money, or attention on mental health in this country. I think it could be beneficial to start a #MeToo sort of movement for people with mental health problems, because like victims of sexual improprieties, a large percentage of those who have been hampered by mental health issues have felt embarrassed or ashamed to share their struggles, largely due to the negative stigma attached to such matters. As a society, we need to break that cycle. We need to be more open, welcoming, and less judgmental. We also need to pressure politicians into finding ways to make mental health a greater concern. The more we neglect it, the more frequently we're going to hear about such tragic events.
Lastly, while I can't understand the rationale in convicted Michelle Carter of manslaughter when her boyfriend committed suicide, records do showcase her to be severely troubled, in need of help, and I don't see any long-term benefits to placing her in prison and denying/elongating/exacerbating the real issues at hand. If we want to improve mental health in this country and reduce recidivism, we can't just lock people in a cell, deny the core reason why they made the awful decisions they did, and then pretend like they'll be 100% healed once they are released from prison. Things don't work like that. Unless the core problems are dealt with, they'll be apt to resorting to the same misbehaviors which landed them in prison in the first place.
From battling seizures to anxiety to depression and beyond, I used to be embarrassed to admit my mental health issues. If I didn't deal with them, who knows, I may have gone down a dark path where I wouldn't even be capable of writing this blog. I dealt with them, though, and am much better off as a result. That's the first step. For others out there dealing with similar issues, trust me, you're not alone. We've all been dealt obstacles in life. The ones you've had to endure aren't anything to be ashamed or embarrassed about. They're just small components to you as a whole and help make you the unique individual you are. If they're hampering your life in any manner, though, then the best thing to do is not ignore them, but to go see a doctor, be open and honest about your situation with him/her, self-reflect, make some necessary adjustments, and try to improve as a person, not only for yourself, but for those you love. Let's try to break the cycle. I'm Craig Rozniecki and I've dealt with mental health problems. #MeToo
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michelle-carter-texting-suicide-conviction_us_5c5ae8d4e4b0871047598706
The court stated the following in its ruling:
"The crime of involuntary manslaughter proscribes reckless or wanton conduct causing the death of another. The statute makes no reference to restricting or regulating speech, let alone speech of a particular content or viewpoint. We are therefore not punishing words alone, as the defendant claims, but reckless or wanton words causing death. ... The evidence against the defendant proved that, by her wanton or reckless conduct, she caused the victim's death by suicide."
Both Ms. Carter and the victim, Conrad Ray, came across as mentally and emotionally disturbed, in desperate need of professional help. I have three questions for the court: 1) How can a person be guilty of manslaughter for another person's suicide?, 2) Why didn't these two individual receive the professional help and care they so needed?, and 3) How is prison more beneficial to Ms. Carter, her future, and those around her than a mental health facility?
Suicide is defined as "the act or an instance of taking one's own life voluntarily or intentionally." Manslaughter is defined as "the crime of killing a human being without malice aforethought, or otherwise in circumstances not amounting to murder." So how is it possible for a person to kill another who took their own life voluntarily or intentionally? This doesn't make any sense to me. From a definitional standpoint, the two can't coexist. If one is guilty of manslaughter, the victim didn't commit suicide; and if the victim committed suicide, he or she wasn't killed via manslaughter.
Sadly, we don't spend nearly enough time, energy, money, or attention on mental health in this country. I think it could be beneficial to start a #MeToo sort of movement for people with mental health problems, because like victims of sexual improprieties, a large percentage of those who have been hampered by mental health issues have felt embarrassed or ashamed to share their struggles, largely due to the negative stigma attached to such matters. As a society, we need to break that cycle. We need to be more open, welcoming, and less judgmental. We also need to pressure politicians into finding ways to make mental health a greater concern. The more we neglect it, the more frequently we're going to hear about such tragic events.
Lastly, while I can't understand the rationale in convicted Michelle Carter of manslaughter when her boyfriend committed suicide, records do showcase her to be severely troubled, in need of help, and I don't see any long-term benefits to placing her in prison and denying/elongating/exacerbating the real issues at hand. If we want to improve mental health in this country and reduce recidivism, we can't just lock people in a cell, deny the core reason why they made the awful decisions they did, and then pretend like they'll be 100% healed once they are released from prison. Things don't work like that. Unless the core problems are dealt with, they'll be apt to resorting to the same misbehaviors which landed them in prison in the first place.
From battling seizures to anxiety to depression and beyond, I used to be embarrassed to admit my mental health issues. If I didn't deal with them, who knows, I may have gone down a dark path where I wouldn't even be capable of writing this blog. I dealt with them, though, and am much better off as a result. That's the first step. For others out there dealing with similar issues, trust me, you're not alone. We've all been dealt obstacles in life. The ones you've had to endure aren't anything to be ashamed or embarrassed about. They're just small components to you as a whole and help make you the unique individual you are. If they're hampering your life in any manner, though, then the best thing to do is not ignore them, but to go see a doctor, be open and honest about your situation with him/her, self-reflect, make some necessary adjustments, and try to improve as a person, not only for yourself, but for those you love. Let's try to break the cycle. I'm Craig Rozniecki and I've dealt with mental health problems. #MeToo
https://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/michelle-carter-texting-suicide-conviction_us_5c5ae8d4e4b0871047598706
Comments
Post a Comment