Court Opinion

ID: 9548783
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-07 18:08:41.777438+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T15:19:25.258719
License: Public Domain

ZIMMERMAN, Justice
(concurring):
I join in the majority opinion but add a few observations. First, I agree with the majority that Murphy is entitled to release under the relevant statute, section 77-14-5 of the Code. However, there is a more fundamental question. The trial court was unable to find that Murphy presented a danger to himself or others; that ruling is amply supported by the record. In my view, one who has been involuntarily committed because of a mental illness and who is later found no longer to be a danger to him- or herself or to others is constitutionally entitled to freedom. See Jones v. United States, 463 U.S. 354, 370, 103 S.Ct. 3043, 3052-53, 77 L.Ed.2d 694 (1983); Addington v. Texas, 441 U.S. 418, 426-27, 99 S.Ct. 1804, 1809-10, 60 L.Ed.2d 323 (1979); Jackson v. Indiana, 406 U.S. 715, 732-38, 92 S.Ct. 1845, 1855-58, 32 L.Ed.2d 435 (1972). For this reason also, Mr. Murphy must be released.
Second, I share some of the concerns expressed by Justice Howe. There is evidence in the record that suggests that Mr. Murphy may have a difficult time making the transition to a more loosely structured environment and that he may, in fact, *290prove ultimately to be a danger to himself or others. However, this cautionary note does not mean that Mr. Murphy is not entitled to release. As Justice Stewart observes, our criminal justice system is not premised on the notion that we can imprison anyone who has a potential for antisocial conduct. In fact, we operate on quite the opposite premise: we routinely release from prison people who we know have a high likelihood of becoming repeat offenders once they have served their sentences and earned the right to a fresh start. They may be dangerous, but they are entitled to be free. The same is true of Mr. Murphy.
Finally, it is unfortunate, as Justice Durham suggests, that the state has largely ignored the problems presented by the fact that a significant number of people entering the criminal justice system suffer from mental illness or retardation. While mandatory incarceration and ever-longer sentences are politically popular, spending money to adequately house those confined, much less treat those suffering from mental problems, is not. Until we as a society face up to the true consequences of the penal policies adopted in our name, the courts will continue to be confronted with agonizingly difficult cases such as this one.