Bipolar Today

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Joe Paraskeva of the United Kingdom was convicted for arson as the result of an attempted escape from a psyciatric institution. His mother, Linda Morgan has put together a petition asking for her son’s conviction to be overturned. Mr. Paraskeva, 21, tried to escape from the John Howard Centre forensic unit in Hackney using a lighter and an aerosol can to burn down a door in the facility and was stopped. He was convicted, and risks being sent to prison once he is released from the psychiatric hospital, where he had been sectioned (the British version of being committed). His mother put together a petition with over 6,000 signatures, and delivered it to Downing Street on December 10th. His minimum sentence is two years, but he could potentially be incarcerated indefinitely if the parole board denies him parole. More information can be found about the case at the website Justice for Joe.

Commentary

If Mr. Paraskeva’s conviction is not overturned, it shows serious confusion on the part of the British judicial system. People who are involuntarily committed or sectioned because of mental illness should not be held responsible for their actions. Indeed, it is a part of the duty of care of mental health institutions to ensure that people who are committed to those institutions do not harm themselves or others. In fact, it is the responsibility of the John Howard Centre to prevent mentally ill patients from having access to the materials needed to light a fire, just it is their responsibility to prevent them from having access to the materials needed to commit suicide. That an involuntarily committed patient, who is by definition legally incompetent, should be considered responsible for his or her actions is simply absurd. I will monitor this case, and provide updates as they become available.

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