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I case in the UK raised my eyebrow—as so much happening there does these days. A convicted murderer in a mental hospital wants to starve himself to death, but can’t because he is not in a prison—where he apparently could.  From the Telegraph story:

Brady, 74, had been due to appear via videolink before a Mental Health   Tribunal on Monday, after asking to be transferred from Ashworth special   hospital on Merseyside to a prison in Scotland. He has been tube-fed at Ashworth for the past 12 years, where he has been on   hunger-strike, but would not be force-fed if he was sent to a prison,   meaning he would be able to starve himself to death.

That’s crazy!  Why not just say that prison officials can’t cut a prisoner who hangs himself down until the deed is complete?

A prisoner has lost much of his or her personal autonomy.  Prison officials should have no obligation to stand back and watch, much less facilitate, an inmate’s suicide.


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