We're too quick to use "mental illness" as an explanation for violence.

[Nym90]

Who the heck cares what his "real reasons" were, so long as this guy fries for what he did.

Because understanding those reasons will help to prevent it from happening in the future.

[Nym90]

But yeah, the vast majority of mentally ill people don't go on shooting sprees, so mental illness is certainly not an excuse for committing crimes. As an explanation, it is only a very small part of the overall story. Those who are ill still have an obligation to control their illness and prevent it from hurting others, and we certainly should strongly punish those who are unwilling or unable to.

Drug and alcohol addiction certainly are far greater overall scourges on society than these types of illnesses.

The greatest factor of all IMO is being instilled with strong moral values at a young age by one's parents or guardians. Respect for others, the value of life, etc., things that probably seem second nature to many of us, but we often do not realize these are learned, not qualities that we are born with. I would hazard a guess that unstable or difficult parental relationships would be more highly correlated with criminal behavior than almost anything else.

[Nym90]

But yeah, the vast majority of mentally ill people don't go on shooting sprees, so mental illness is certainly not an excuse for committing crimes. As an explanation, it is only a very small part of the overall story. Those who are ill still have an obligation to control their illness and prevent it from hurting others, and we certainly should strongly punish those who are unwilling or unable to.

You're a monster. A clueless monster.

I don't think that's fair; he phrased something poorly. I mean, if someone has a condition in theory where they can't help attempting violence on others from time to time, they are not going to be granted their freedom. And even if this isn't meant as a punishment, it would have almost the same effect.

Yeah, that's basically what I meant. I guess "strongly" is subjective. They should certainly not be granted freedom.

[Nym90]

Who the heck cares what his "real reasons" were, so long as this guy fries for what he did.

I'm not sure if it is permissible to express this, but some people might consider this type of knowledge of causation to be potentially useful for formulating policies of prevention.

I already did, so I think the answer is that yes, it is permissible....