Beating up on the Mentally Ill

In another sentencing hearing (the defendant had pled guilty to theft and was seeking probation from the judge), the prosecutor argued that the defendant, who was mentally ill (diagnosed but unmedicated at the time of the theft, which was followed by two suicide attempts; medicated now; a thousand pages of medical records in evidence) had "chosen" to steal and was being "manipulative." Her mother must be very proud.

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