I totally agree O Sung Wu and RObert.
Where does society draw the line at allowing lawyers, judges etc allow violent criminals to use the excuses of their upbringing, or try to use insanity as a plea, to secure lighter sentences?
Hopefully, the justice system will change so that the punishment fits the crime, regardless of the criminals upbringing or family.
However, I think the mental health staff- especially psychiatrists should take more responsibility in trying to ensure their clients are safe to stay free in the community.
Do we always have to wait for murders to happen before we say we should have sectioned that patient?

//However, I think the mental health staff- especially psychiatrists should take more responsibility in trying to ensure their clients are safe to stay free in the community.//

As somebody who knows the mental health system quite well - as a patient - I can assure you all that clinicians are bound by statute to report to the police if they have reason to believe that their patients are likely to commit a violent or sexual crime. They are also required to report clients' admissions of prior guilt for offences in the same categories.

Crazy people will do crazy things, but it's difficult to predict when or what the nature of those crazy things will be.

Toni Lavis, as someone who works in the community health system, I can tell you that there is a mountain of paperwork and a truckload of problems to actually section someone (make them go involuntarily into a psych ward), and that often this decision is left too late simply because a psych doctor or nurse is either too busy, or just doesn't want the angst.
An unfortunate truth.

This Government needs to throw as much, if not more, money at mental health services as they do for general health services, because these people with violent psych problems are only going to get worse and increase greatly in numbers due to increasing drug problems.

Suse,
Exactly, we recently had to report my brother who'd lapsed into violent psychosis to Police and the local mental health workers and while everyone was great and did their best to help there's not a lot they can do.
The Police were fantastic, sorted out restraining orders, made sure he went to court and the sergeant even gave us his mobile number to call if something happened on his days off.
Unfortunately with an adult their hands are tied until he commits a crime, in this case they drew up charges of threats to kill and destroy property but didn't book him, the thinking being that they could use the threat of charges to force my brother to go to his appointments with the psychiatrists and social workers.
He's behaving himself in that he's not threatening to burn my house down anymore but as far as I know he's not going to treatment.

I feel for you Jay of Melbourne, as I know exactly what you are going through.
My Sister-in-Law has a serious mental health issue and our family is badly affected by the fact she is given a 'choice' about where she goes when the Psych says he will section her unless she agrees to go voluntarily.

So naturally she chooses a lovely private psych ward where they all just sit around and hold hands together while the Psych nurses play pool!
My brother is ready for a psych ward himself and I keep coming up against brick walls with her psych staff because of 'privacy issues'.
The rest of my family have now given up and left my poor brother alone to deal with his wife....

Rosie Battie is also an expert on offshore detention centres. See my post today on the domestic violence issue article 1st. October.