Document text
1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Benefit concert in Ashland Sunday boosts GMO-ban legal defense fund Long drought, big storm make for a dirty Bear Creek Ticket availability Police reports Engine fire extinguished Education Heading to Harvard Rising from the ashes Ashland High School again earns national honors Preschool's future not yet secure Ashland Middle School student spearheads Nepal relief effort Environment Long drought, big storm make for a dirty Bear Creek Jackson County declares drought disaster Ashland publisher offers prize for environmental book Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection Stopping fire in its tracks Business Ashland's CD Or Not CD will carry on Ashland seminars focus on employment law Ashland joins in Craft Beer Week with toast at Standing Stone on Wednesday Cars We Remember: Noted musician unravels 55-year Nash Rambler mystery 'Fill'er up' will mean with beer, not gas Politics and elections Arthur I. Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability City of Ashland to consider making recorder position appointive, not elective Ashland water bills could go up to fund watershed protection BREAKING: Baltimore prosecutor charges officers in Gray's death State News Oregon's snowpack at just 11 percent of average Lack of snow nixes ski portion of popular Central Oregon race Bill under debate in Oregon would limit livestock antibiotics Nation - World There's a $10 million precious stone hidden in plain sight at Grand Central Obituaries Nita Day Alan Leslie Robins Eva Robarts Kathryn "Kay" Blanche White Death Notices Shareable Check out top import and export for every U.S. state Patriots fan sets up GoFundMe page to help pay for team's Deflategate fine Sports Latest Stories O'Brien, Kim claim MWL doubles title Kelly McElroy: I hate this ‘game’ App Finder: Best cycling apps Thompson-Siporen earns three MWL titles in first day of district meet Rich Garven: Pumping out some Deflategate thoughts High school O'Brien, Kim claim MWL doubles title Thompson-Siporen earns three MWL titles in first day of district meet Ashland heads to Eugene for MWL district meet Ayers pitches Eagles past Grizzlies Raiders Maguin, Parks, Sanders highlight first day of CCC track meet Southern Oregon University O'Brien, Kim claim MWL doubles title Ashland heads to Eugene for MWL district meet Raiders Maguin, Parks, Sanders highlight first day of CCC track meet SOU lands two on all-CCC softball team See you in August Voices Latest Stories Other Views: Vaccine rate improves Herb Rothschild Jr.: An appalling budget Mark L. Hopkins: The key to education is still the teacher Our View: Focus on the basics Jeffrey Gillespie: Shame on the high seas Editorial Other Views: Vaccine rate improves Our View: Focus on the basics Our View: Elected or appointed? Our View: Change is brewing Our View: Forest work is a bargain Letters Letters to the Editor, May 14 (No heading) Letters to the editor: Tuesday, May 12 Letters to the Editor, May 8 Letters to the Editor, May 6 Guest opinions Guest Opinion: Ambrose spins a conservative fantasy Guest Opinion: Restoring the Plaza's sense of place Guest Opinion: Making conservation a game Guest Opinion: A good day to act Guest Opinion: Allegations unfair to Dr. Tomashefsky Columns Herb Rothschild Jr.: An appalling budget Jeffrey Gillespie: Shame on the high seas Arthur I. Cyr: Camp David summit will not help Mideast stability Ashland by the numbers Chris Honoré: Supreme Court grapples with tradition, suffrage Chris Honore Council Corner Editor's Notes Jeffrey Gillespie Herb Rothschild Revels Latest Stories Ashland Calendar, Thursday, May 14 4 Things To Do This Weekend Movie listings: May 15-21 Laurie Lewis, Tom Rozum at The Mountain House Steve Poltz, Grant-Lee Phillips at Old Ashland Armory Theater Ticket availability Ticket Availability Departing Ashland Independent Film Festival programmer talks about what makes a good movie Ticket availability Ticket Availability Music The Farr Side: Contest open for singer-songwriters The Farr Side: Mumford & Sons’ latest is full-on rock Interview: Country singer Suzy Bogguss enjoying life on the road The Farr Side: CMAs do it right, in many ways Interview: Offspring plays hits new and old on tour Visual Art Movies Movie review: ‘Mad Max’ is a fresh, fantastic approach to a classic idea Your A-to-Z guide to the ‘Mad Max’ franchise Movie listings: May 15-21 'Wild Tales' is twisted, dark and lovely Movie review: ‘Mad Max: Fury Road’ will leave your inner 12-year-old giggling with glee Food and Drink Taqueria Picaro takes over Tabu space Owner of Mix and Amuse to bring Flip burger joint to Ashland Cruelest Month: Poetry Blog Lifestyle Latest Stories Inner Peace: God's sigh: the breath of prayer Barbara Presnell: The life, legacy of Sam, a little white dog   Looking Up: Jupiter heading toward Venus Quills: Minimalist group celebrates having more satisfaction with less stuff Betty Montgomery: Longleaf pines making a comeback Aging Happens Inner Peace Column Inner Peace Blog Mocha Musings Rogues: Tales from the Valley Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obituaries Photos Videos Blogs Business Business Services NEWS NOW Kerry tries to dampen fuss over Israeli PM's speech ... 30,000 marchers in Moscow mourn slain Putin foe ... Dems call GOP Homeland Security strategy a political blunder ... Kerry tries to dampen fuss over Israeli PM's speech ... 30,000 marchers in Moscow mourn slain Putin foe ... Dems call GOP Homeland Security strategy a political blunder ... Matthew T. Mangino: Reagan’s would-be assassin may soon be a free man Rarely in American history has a person who made an attempt on a president’s life ever been released from custody; and never has a person who actually shot a president been free to walk the streets. That may soon change. A federal judge will decide whether John W. Hinckley Jr. may be released after 34 years in custody. Comment By Matthew T. Mangino, More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Matthew T. Mangino, More Content Now Posted May. 15, 2015 at 6:37 AM By Matthew T. Mangino, More Content Now Posted May. 15, 2015 at 6:37 AM » Social News Rarely in American history has a person who made an attempt on a president’s life ever been released from custody; and never has a person who actually shot a president been free to walk the streets. That may soon change. A federal judge will decide whether John W. Hinckley Jr. may be released after 34 years in custody. On March 30, 1981, Hinckley shot President Ronald Reagan, with the intent to assassinate him. Hinckley’s defense team never denied that he shot the president. Instead, they argued that he was laboring under a severe mental defect and was, in fact, insane. Hinckley would have the jury believe that he acted involuntarily; essentially his life was controlled by his pathological obsession with the movie “Taxi Driver” and its star Jodie Foster. Hinckley's attorneys said he saw the movie 15 times, and was seeking to reenact the events of the movie in his own life. Hinckley's attorneys argued that he was schizophrenic and that the movie, and Foster, were the controlling force behind his attempted assassination. The judge allowed the defense to introduce evidence, according to The New York Times, that Hinckley's brain showed signs of shrunken brain tissue, one of the common symptoms of schizophrenia. The jury found Hinckley not guilty by reason of insanity. The jury's decision caused a public outcry. Congress, and a number of states, got to work rewriting the law to make it more difficult for a defendant to win a case using the insanity defense. Congress adopted a number of provisions that dramatically changed the law. For instance, before Hinckley, the burden of proof in federal cases was on the prosecution to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that a defendant was sane. The post-Hinckley reform legislation shifted the burden to the defendant to prove with clear and convincing evidence that he was legally insane at the time of the crime. Following Congress' lead, more than 30 states made changes to their insanity defense. Over the 1980s and 1990s, many states shifted the burden and standard of proof in ways to make it more difficult to sustain an insanity defense. In addition to raising more hurdles for a successful insanity defense, many states enacted laws providing for more restrictive confinement options for those acquitted by reason of insanity. Three states — Utah, Montana and Idaho — abolished the defense altogether, according to PBS’s “Frontline.” The use of the insanity defense is rare. One study, cited by The Times, of eight states published in the 1990s found the insanity defense is used in about 1 percent of all felony cases, with only a quarter of those being successful. Is it really that shocking that a man who shot the president might someday soon be walking free? Hinckley already spends more than half of every month a free man. In fact, neither the government nor the judge believes it will be long before Hinckley is free. Every month, Hinckley spends 17 days away from the hospital at his mother's home in Williamsburg, Virginia. The question for Senior U.S. District Judge Paul Friedman is whether to take the next step and grant him full release from the Hospital. "Every witness agrees that he's ready and every witness agrees that the risk of danger is decidedly low," Hinckley’s lawyer Barry William Levine recently argued to the court. According to National Public Radio, Levine said that depression and psychosis fueled Hinckley's drive to shoot President Reagan. He further offered that those conditions are "in full, stable, sustained remission" and have been for more than 20 years. Matthew T. Mangino is of counsel with Luxenberg, Garbett, Kelly & George P.C. His book “The Executioner’s Toll, 2010” was released by McFarland Publishing. You can reach him at www.mattmangino.com and follow him on Twitter at @MatthewTMangino. By Matthew T. Mangino, More Content Now DailyTidings.com By Matthew T. Mangino, More Content Now Posted May. 15, 2015 at 6:37 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Southern Oregon Directory Featured Businesses Loading... Business Name address Location, ST | website.com Find Southern Oregon Attractions Bars Restaurants Beauty Salons Entertainment Doctors Medical Specialists Contractors Education Lawn Services Lawyers Shopping Travel Tanning Used Cars Wedding Services ▼ Add your business here + calendar Connect with DailyTidings.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Alerts Email alerts RSS feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Propel Marketing Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. Your privacy is important, read our privacy policy. © Copyright 2015 Local Media Group, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms of Service | Local Media Group Publications Original content available for non-commercial use under a Creative Commons license, except where noted. DailyTidings.com | P.O. Box 1108, Medford, OR 97501