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| How Our Criminal Justice System Is Failing An Autistic Man Facing Years In Prison |
| By thinkprogress.org |
| Published: 01/05/2015 |
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Days before a Virginia inmate with autism faces trial for allegedly assaulting a corrections officer, mental health advocates and civil liberties groups are asking Virginia Gov. Terry McAuliffe to grant the man conditional clemency so he can be transferred to a secure treatment facility in Florida. Supporters and lawyers of Reginald “Neli” Latson say that his intellectual disability played a role in his altercations with law enforcement. In 2010, Latson hit a police officer trying to take him into custody when responding to a report of suspicious activity. Two years later, he tried to kill himself with an officer’s gun in a group home after become agitated during a phone call with his mother. Latson’s most recent offense, during which he allegedly punched a guard, postponed his February release and immediate transfer to the Florida treatment center. If convicted, he faces six months to five years in prison. Those seeking leniency for Latson argue that lengthy stays in solitary confinement and lack of emergency mental health services in the group home caused him to lash out at officers. Read More. |
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