InDepthNH.org (https://indepthnh.org/category/treating-mental-illness-in-nh/page/5/)
Under fire: The Secure Psychiatric Unit at the men’s prison incarcerates men and a few women who suffer from mental illness. Some are also convicted criminals – murderers and rapists – but others have not been convicted of a crime. Some aren’t even charged with crime. Read our special reporting.
Frankie Berger, director of advocacy at the nonprofit Treatment Advocacy Center: “Honestly, it’s appalling and shocking what we’ve learned so far. We need to see it fixed.”
Eric Largy’s arrest seven years ago for allegedly “torturing” his father, retired Nashua Police Chief Clifton Largy, and handcuffing him to an antique barber chair for 12 hours shocked Nashua and the rest of New Hampshire.
The full House voted Wednesday to send a bill back to committee that would have expanded DNA collection to include civilly committed patients who haven’t committed a crime.
Devon Chaffee, executive director of ACLU of New Hampshire, asked lawmakers to vote no on Senate Bill 339 that would allow the collection of DNA from mentally ill people who haven’t committed a crime.
Should the state take DNA samples from people who are mentally ill, but who have committed no crime?
Shackles and ‘cages’ are sometimes used during treatment for mentally ill people at the Secure Psychiatric Unit at state prison in Concord, even those who are not incarcerated for committing a crime..