John Hinckley's Doctors Seeking Easing of Restrictions
Posted Oct 02 2008 6:16pm
The medical team overseeing treatment for John W. Hinckley Jr. have petitioned for an easing on his current restrictions including obtaining a driver's license, spending more unsupervised time in the community and having extend visits to his mother's home in Virginia. Hinckley, 53, has been held at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C. since his March 30, 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan. In addition to the shooting of the President, Hinckley also severely injured Press Secretary James Brady and wounded two Secret Service agents.
At present, Hinckley is allowed to visit his
mother in Williamsburg, Virginia area for six-day periods and is also allowed to leave the hospital with groups of patients. Doctors are seeking to extend these visits to ten-day periods and to double the time Hinckley is allowed to
spend unaccompanied in the Virginia community each day, according to
prosecutors. The doctors have asked for Hinckley to be allowed more time
to do volunteer work in Virginia and take driving lessons in that area,
Prosecutors are opposing the eased restriction on the grounds of Hinckley's "continued inappropriate and
unrealistic relationships with several women as well as a reluctance to
accept responsibility for his own behavior," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Zeno and Sarah Chasson wrote that
doctors provided no reason to extend Hinckley's visits to Virginia
because he already has enough time to do volunteer work and take
driving lessons there.
They argued that Hinckley should not be granted unsupervised time in
the District, the chance to get a D.C. driver's license or be allowed
to have more daily free time in Virginia because Hinckley "continues to
maintain inappropriate thoughts of violence."
Hinckley's lawyers, Barry W. Levine and Adam Proujansky, wrote that
Friedman should grant the doctors' request because prosecutors have
offered "no evidence that Mr. Hinckley will be a danger to himself or
others under the conditions proposed."
"In every prior instance, the Government's prediction of doom has
proved to be utterly baseless," they wrote, citing Hinckley's "perfect
record of successful conditional release".
The medical team overseeing treatment for John W. Hinckley Jr. have petitioned for an easing on his current restrictions including obtaining a driver's license, spending more unsupervised time in the community and having extend visits to his mother's home in Virginia. Hinckley, 53, has been held at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C. since his March 30, 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan. In addition to the shooting of the President, Hinckley also severely injured Press Secretary James Brady and wounded two Secret Service agents.
At present, Hinckley is allowed to visit his mother in Williamsburg, Virginia area for six-day periods and is also allowed to leave the hospital with groups of patients. Doctors are seeking to extend these visits to ten-day periods and to double the time Hinckley is allowed to spend unaccompanied in the Virginia community each day, according to prosecutors. The doctors have asked for Hinckley to be allowed more time to do volunteer work in Virginia and take driving lessons in that area,
Prosecutors are opposing the eased restriction on the grounds of Hinckley's "continued inappropriate and unrealistic relationships with several women as well as a reluctance to accept responsibility for his own behavior," Assistant U.S. Attorneys Thomas Zeno and Sarah Chasson wrote that doctors provided no reason to extend Hinckley's visits to Virginia because he already has enough time to do volunteer work and take driving lessons there. They argued that Hinckley should not be granted unsupervised time in the District, the chance to get a D.C. driver's license or be allowed to have more daily free time in Virginia because Hinckley "continues to maintain inappropriate thoughts of violence."
Hinckley's lawyers, Barry W. Levine and Adam Proujansky, wrote that Friedman should grant the doctors' request because prosecutors have offered "no evidence that Mr. Hinckley will be a danger to himself or others under the conditions proposed."
"In every prior instance, the Government's prediction of doom has proved to be utterly baseless," they wrote, citing Hinckley's "perfect record of successful conditional release".
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