Reply #28: "Mentally ill" people can indeed be arsonists, but this guy isn't one. [View All]

[Lyric]

Arson is a crime of deliberately setting a fire in order to cause property damage. From what I've read, this guy is just careless with his cigarette butts--not a surprise, considering that he's schizophrenic and living-in-the-woods-homeless to boot. Anyway, for it to be arson, there MUST be intent to cause property damage for an "improper purpose." It doesn't appear that his intent was to cause a raging wildfire that destroyed a bunch of property. It looks more like a case of his mental illness interfering with good judgement, leading to irresponsible behaviors that resulted in two fires.

I agree with the judge that he's a danger to society as he is, but federal prison isn't the answer. A secure inpatient mental health facility where he can both get his illness treated and learn to live again in civilized society would be a much more fitting consequence. I sincerely hope that's what happens in the end for this fellow. Even dangerous, crazy people deserve the chance to at least be humanely treated while being kept safely away from society.