Quebec has the most not criminally responsible verdicts

MONTREAL - Close to half of all Canadians found not criminally responsible because of mental-health reasons were judged in Quebec courts, according to the most recent study from the federal justice department.

More than 3,770 of a total of 8,579 of these verdicts between 1992 and 2004 came from Quebec courts, even though the province has less than a quarter of the Canadian population.

Ontario, Canada's most populous province, had 37% of the not criminally responsible for reasons of mental health verdicts in the same time period.

The most recent high-profile case with this kind of verdict came out of Quebec. Former cardiologist Guy Turcotte was found not criminally responsible because of his mental state last week in a Quebec court after he admitted to stabbing his two young children to death.

Although the decision sparked outrage and shock among members of the public, these types of verdicts have increased by 50% in the last 20 years - a spike largely attributable to Quebec courts.

Link

What is going on in Quebec?

I'm having a real hard time accepting a cardiologist, a very highly educated man, suddenly went crazy and stabbed his two children. Infact, it seems the he wasn't crazy at all.

Cardiologist Guy Turcotte wasn't suffering from schizophrenia, psychosis, manic depression or a personality disorder the night he stabbed his children to death.

The 39-year-old had always been in good physical health, had a flawless work record, and had never dabbled in drugs or delinquency as a teen.

So what possessed him on Feb. 20, 2009, to grip a knife with two hands and plunge it repeatedly into the tiny torsos of his children, Olivier, 5 and Anne-Sophie, 3, despite their painful moans?

He just couldn't take it any more. That was the conclusion drawn by Roch-Hugo Bouchard, a psychiatrist hired by the defence who spent more than two hours with Turcotte March 4 at the Rivière des Prairies detention centre.

The Gazette

So instead of seeking help for his depression from anyone like friends, family, doctors, psychologists,etc, he just decided he had enough and killed his kids. He killed his kids becuase he was depressed!!!!!

When has depression ever been considered a mental illness that affects your sense of right and wrong? Isn't the whole point of the mental illness defence to show the defendent didn't know right from wrong when they commited the crime?

I knew Canadian justice was weak but I had no idea Quebec was reaching soo many verdicts and I am shocked by it. To let a child murderer off of murder charges becuase he was depressed is insane. Just imagine what other insane verdicts must be included in that tally of 3,770.

This is soo sickening and disgraceful to read, what the hell is happening in Quebec?

Wow, now I know that, statistically speaking, Canadians are nuts. Explains the behaviour of a few Canadian members I notice.












()

Originally posted by 547000
Wow, now I know that, statistically speaking, Canadians are nuts.

I would like to argue that but, on the heels of my OP, it would be just silly to try.

Originally posted by 547000
Explains the behaviour of a few Canadian members I notice.

They were probably from Ontario or Quebec.

As a resident of Quebec i can tell you that some of the things they do here are just plain nuts. We are often letting hard criminals off easy, yet we invest millions of dollars annually on these crazy drug raids arresting the people we judge to be not guilty.

Some people say our government here is corrupt, and i would tend to agree. Obviously this has little to do with Guy Turcotte, but the point is that the mentality of legislators, prosecutors, and government people here is just complacent. we have a tendency to put focus in the wrong places (like the stupid english vs. french bs that is constantly an undercurrent in daily affairs). We also tend to have ridiculous court rulings made for example:
Dad sued by daughter for something stupid

I have to stop now, because if i don't this is going to turn into an unintelligible rant about the ridiculous things that Quebec does. If you really are curious though, i am sure you can look up recent events in Quebec and see the interesting ways that we do things here.

Pretty sad when yesterday this sick bastard who murdered his own children then uses Canadas get out of Jail free card.

Guy Turcott after spending four yrs (effing sickining) in jail has been released only four yrs after murdering his two children. NCR in Canada needs to be abolished crimes of the nature need to have punishment doled out I don't care what was going on in your head you took a life or lives as in this case you should rot for the rest of your waking life.

This country blows my mind sometime, I wish I knew how to make threads properly cause I got so much to say about the P.O.S's that have used this to alleviate there sentences for henious crimes.

And is this the same treatment we will find Vince Li the greyhound beheader, and Allen Scheonbourne the Merrit child murder is 4 yrs going to be commen place for those who had momentary lapse causing them to take lives. Is four years enough to think the instability is gone and they will adhear to the rules we have all lived under.

I think not these men are all animals and in my opinion should have been done away with already, evil only perpetrates evil and these men in men opinion are the epitomy....

SaneThinking

P.S heart goes out to the ex-wife and deceased children of Guy Turcott to now have to think this animal is free, makes me sad for the state of justice in this country