Complaints from sexual predators about inhumane conditions at Larned State Hospital led to inspections by the state and a national accreditation organization, to Eagle stories and to legislative scrutiny. All of that, patients say, led to retaliation, including the covering up of windows. It was up to state lawmakers to do something. But the Legislature sent a measure to Gov. Kathleen Sebelius last week that further curtails patients’ rights, including their ability to communicate with the media and other outsiders. In the process, it sent a bad message to the public. Lawmakers’ first priority should have been to safeguard these individuals’ rights and ensure their living conditions are humane.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
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14 Comments
This is infuriating beyond reason.
I hope that the eagle continues to fight for this cause. I realize that sex offenders are the dirt of society, but we must not become inhumane for any segment of our society.
What the heck are our lawmakers thinking? They’re afraid someone is going to say they’re protecting sex offenders even though all they’re doing is protecting their civil rights?
Murderers get better treatment.And I would defend that as well.
This kind of crap is happening at places for developmental disabilities too. We should be looking into that as well. And those people are innocent.
I agree with Political_mom, we are no better then those that we institutionalizes if we are persecuting them.
I say it’s bull…it’s a state institution so the accreditation organization will make them clean up their act or else shut them down. Paitients have certain rights, that’s the law. These guys have too much time on their hands, they need to be put to work so they can pay restitution to their victims.
There are people in Larned State Hospital who have never committed a crime. They are there- and should be- for reasons that they cannot live normally outside without being a danger to themselves of others. Larned is not a prison and should not be run like one. The patients there should get the best treatements and be given a reasonable amount of comfort.
Before everyone gets their panties in a bunch, WHAT was the “inhumane” treatment?
Covering up of windows? I don;t think so.
Keeping them from communicating from the confines of the Hospital? Standard when you are in a mental institution.
Folks this is not a Summer Camp, it is a mental institution. MANY of the sexual preditors that are there becasuse they are really bad and some of the treatment is to remove them from communicatios so they cannot continue the victim and victimization. Very common sense application, they are there after all to be treated and it is being done at taxpayers expense.
The accreditation asspociation will take care of it all.
TBS, Larned was the one just a few months ago that had the problems with being filthy and haveing no hot water for showers.
IF this is true on further investigation ALL INVOLVED SHOULD BE TERMINATED.
We need to get people in there that can do the job.
Closed windows…I remember hearing a report that people at Larned were exposing themselves through uncovered windows. That patients were trying to drug up or drug other patients with drugs they received in the mail.
That the so-called communications to the media to report abuses including multiple pages of blithering about how gods of furniture-related pixies were going to attack them.
There are probably some things that need to be fixed, but let us get real folks, we are dealing with people at the deeply deviant stage of Mental Illness that have to be handled differently.
I wonder what is in the hearts of the administrators of this hospital. I think the law of diminishing return figures into the compassion and humanity the administrators lose the longer they work there. Given that institutionalized mental illness must be hell on the patient and on the staff I can imagine that I too would begin to lose sight of the boundaries of humanity. For instance, if your patients defecate on themselves then why should the staff go to great lengths to make them comfortable…..if you they are just going to crap themselves again.I readily admit that I am too lazy and too jaded to become a caretaker for strangers. I wonder how much our state and federal government understands that auditing a facility should include auditing the staff and administrators for fatigue and disinterest.
So covering up windows and no hot water is inhumane?
Yes Tom. Denying sunlight can cause Rickets. Denying hot water is inhumane. Have you showered in cold water?
If you’ve been out to Larned, you should know if they’re exposing themselves.
It’s like a prison compound. They cant expose themselves to anyone on the outside.
A true mental illness is no different from other illnesses - and should be treated as such. If the issue is just criminal, they should be in prison. If they are mentally ill, they should be afforded the same respect as a cancer or cardiac patient.
True, but many in the sexual predator wing at Larned have anti social personalities..which is a form of mental illness, but the person has control over their urges if they choose, they just don’t care if they hurt someone as long as they get gratification (sexual or otherwise), unlike someone who’s schizophrenic…when they’re delusional, they can’t tell reality from fantasy. They have no control over their psychosis, except to stay on their meds. If they choose not to comply with their medication regime and others get hurt as a result, then they should be held responsible.
If they are just anti-soocial, they should be in prison. If they are mentally ill, they should be treated. Mis-treating the mentally ill serves no purpose.
Castrate them and turn them loose.
I agree, the severe and persistantly mentally ill deserve to be treated like any one else with a chronic illness…the anti social personalities belong in prison, but the problem is they get put into a long term treatment center when they’ve already served their prison sentences and the state wants to keep them locked up and away from the public. The solution would be to give them life sentences in prison.It’s not fair to the mentally ill to be locked up with sexual predators, that’s inhumane.