I know a 'kid' who will spend the rest of his life in jail because he was brain damaged/mentally ill. It's unfortunate to see. I first met him when he was around 12. He'd come work for my hubby, splitting wood, picking garbage, helping with assorted projects around the acreage. We'd pay him well, even though he needed constant supervision. As a toddler he'd been beaten and starved so badly that his brain had stopped developing by around 6 years old. He was a bubbly kid with tons of energy and love to give. Then, he grew into a man, with all the urges that come with that, all that love to still give, and the mental capacity of a 6 year old behind his decision making processes on how to express that to the world. A couple incidents grabbing at women on the city bus landed him in jail, confused, angry, embarassed, he lashed out. The court sentenced him to custody until such a time as he can control his urges. They've chemically castrated and drugged him into oblivion. He will spend the rest of his life behind bars, a 'criminal'. And his story is not unique.
