Prison vs. Hospital

In the August 9, 2004 issue of People, there is a story about Andrea Yates called "Her Private Hell". She has recently lost 30 pounds by refusing to eat, reportedly because she was upset about the forthcoming three-year anniversary of the death of her children by her own hand. What I want to know is this: why on earth has this woman been incarcerated in an East Texas prison cell, rather than being placed permanently in a psychiatric institution? The depths of her mental illness are obvious to any of us who have gone through this, and I just can’t understand why she isn’t put in a place where she can receive proper care. I realize it’s a touchy issue — there are clearly many people who use the insanity defense against a crime they knowingly and purposefully committed, and so many in the public are leery of believing anyone who commits a heinous crime and then claims they were mentally ill. I’m not arguing for her release – I understand society’s need to punish such an awful occurrence as the drowning of one’s children. But I think she should be placed permanently in the state hospital in Galveston, where she is currently being treated.