The number of veterans committing crimes, including murder, is on the rise, and the Texas ruling limiting the insanity defense came just as more and more veterans began to return home from Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of them, including Routh and Kyle, turned to alcohol, which according to research by Western Oregon University criminal justice professor William Brown “combined with lethargic civilian attitudes of the problems veterans confront,” thus providing “the ingredients of a recipe designed to accelerate the probability of increased veteran incarceration.”
Guess the number of older veterans sent to jail instead of being given a fair chance never entered into this "reporter's" mind. But hey, why tell the whole story?
More BS from reporters writing about something they do not understand at all!
Chris Kyle and Chad Littlefield were working to help veterans with PTSD. Chris Kyle became a legend. No one seems to remember Chad Littlefield.
The article about veterans becoming criminals is reprehensible. Much like leaving out Littlefield from all the news reports about the upcoming trial, reporters omit a hell of a lot more when they are reporting on veterans, especially PTSD.
The article mentions a condition tied to schizophrenia as if the public is supposed to tie this to veterans with PTSD.
What Causes Schizoaffective Disorder?
While the exact cause of schizoaffective disorder is not known, researchers believe that genetic, biochemical, and environmental factors are involved:
Genetics (heredity): A tendency to develop schizoaffective disorder may be passed on from parents to their children.
Brain chemistry: People with schizophrenia and mood disorders may have abnormalities in the functioning of brain circuits that regulate mood and thinking.
Environmental factors: Theories suggest that certain environmental factors -- such as a viral infection, poor social interactions or highly stressful situations -- may trigger schizoaffective disorder in people who have inherited a tendency to develop the disorder. However, the relationships between biological and environmental factors that may lead to schizoaffective disorder are not well understood.
Schizoaffective disorder is a serious mental illness that has features of two different conditions -- schizophrenia, and an affective (mood) disorder that may be diagnosed as either major depression or bipolar disorder.
Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that distorts the way a person thinks, acts, expresses emotions, perceives reality, and relates to others. Depression is an illness that is marked by feelings of sadness, worthlessness, or hopelessness, as well as problems concentrating and remembering details. Bipolar disorder is characterized by cycling mood changes, including severe highs (mania) and lows (depression).
The article doesn't mention that recent reports have come out saying that Routh was not in combat.
Veterans group alleges that former Marine accused of killing 'American Sniper' Chris Kyle NEVER saw combat and didn't have PTSD …as jury selection for his trial begins
The Warfighter Foundation is investigating whether Chris Kyle's killer could have suffered from post-traumatic stress disorder
A Facebook post from the group claims that he 'NEVER saw combat or any aspect of traumatic events associated with a combat deployment'
Rather they suggest that Routh was 'an individual with psychological problems that were not associated with his service'
As yet the group has found no conclusive evidence to support their claims
The group is also investigating other possible motives for the 2013 killing of Kyle and fellow Navy SEAL Chad Littlefield
Routh's trial begins next week in Texas, and his attorney has said that the popularity of the movie 'American Sniper' will be an issue in jury selection
By OLIVER O'CONNELL FOR MAILONLINE 5 February 2015
Could he have PTSD anyway? Sure, other civilians have it. The only requirement is that someone survives a traumatic event. But as you can see above, there are illnesses that people are born with that contain the same symptoms as PTSD.
Veterans Courts are intended to put veterans on a different justice level simply because veterans are not like the rest of us. The courts know someone doesn't go from being willing to die to save lives to criminal without reason. It is their job to discover what the truth is as much as it is their job to get veterans into the help they need. They are given a chance. Not a get out of jail free card. If they do not live up to the help provided to them, they end up serving jail time.
One more thing left out of the article is a big one. There are over 22 million veterans in this country and a small percentage commit crimes. A higher percentage commit suicide. Thus, they are more likely to harm themselves than anyone else.
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