Justice System Breakdown Frees Kareem Anderson

A psychiatric evaluation was supposed to determine whether Kareem Anderson could answer to charges that he assaulted two women. Instead, he spent nine months in prison waiting for an assessment that never came. The court has now dismissed the case, leaving the alleged victims without a trial and Anderson’s family grieving a painful loss. His mother died while he was on remand. Attorney Richard “Dickie” Bradley takes us through the process and where the justice system may have failed everyone involved.

 

Richard “Dickie” Bradley, Attorney-at-Law

“For a long time, there has been psychiatrists off and on who are in fact employed to deal with persons at the prison. Because at one time, and it would be good when you get a chance to find out, at one time there were ninety to ninety-two what we call crazy people. There were ninety-two crazy persons who were in the prison in one building. That is like some horror movie. That is a totally unacceptable state of affairs. In fact, there are people who are there for years and years and years. That we in the profession would say that’s just crazy. So in any event, your question is, at the prison department, an instruction comes from the court which must be obeyed that there be a psychiatric evaluation. There can’t be none now since about February of last year because the psychiatrist is no longer working for the government. So then what the prison has tried to do is to work out some kind of procedure. Presently, once a month, a private sector psychiatrist goes to the prison to assist in doing evaluations. They’re way behind in evaluations.”

 

Bradley says when courts grant bail in cases involving mental health concerns, the accused and their families often must arrange and pay for the psychiatric evaluation themselves.

 

Attention readers: This online newscast is a direct transcript of our evening television broadcast. When speakers use Kriol, we have carefully rendered their words using a standard spelling system.

 

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