Mental illness can be difficult for many to understand, especially when it comes to criminals who are mentally ill. Last week the cases of two Canadians whose actions left detestable stamps on history were back in the news and the reaction was highly critical. Yet while the government pursues a rightful course of action in one case, the response to the second shows just how deeply the stigma of mental illness is rooted in our country.
The two men in question are Clifford Olson and Vincent Li. Olson has always tried to stay in the news since he was sentenced to 11 life sentences for the first-degree murder of 11 Vancouver and area children in the early 1980s. For the last three months he has been the poster child for the government’s attempts to quash welfare payments for serving prisoners who are senior citizens. It was revealed Olson was receiving a total of $1,100 a month in Old Age Security and Guaranteed Income Supplement. The actions by the federal government to stop this practise are definitely in order, especially considering his past — the RCMP paid $80,000 into a trust fund in his wife’s name in the early 1980s in exchange for Olson’s help find the bodies of his victims.
The case of Vincent Li, found not criminally responsible for the 2008 murder, dismemberment and decapitation of 22-year-old Tim McLean on a Greyhound bus has also attracted attention, much of it negative. Li’s treatment team has requested and received permission for Li to be allowed to walk the hospital grounds where he is incarcerated, for 15 minutes, twice a day. That could increase if there are no problems. He will be escorted by one security guard and one nurse during that time. Criticism of the move has been heavy, coming from both the public and Manitoba government officials and ministers. Many were shocked to find out the institution where he is kept in a locked wing has no fence. It is highly unlikely, if Li could get away from both escorts, that he would make it very far before he was caught.
Li’s critics do not full appreciate the severity of his mental illness. Li suffers from schizophrenia and has made consistent progress since his 2008 attack on McLean. At the time, he was unmedicated and suffering from hallucinations and delusions that prompted his horrifying behaviour. He could not appreciate what he was doing was wrong. He has since taken part in all therapy and “developed a better understanding of his crime,” according to his treatment team.
Olson, on the other hand, is a waste of skin. At a parole review in 2001, a veteran psychiatrist described him as “the most disturbed personality I have ever encountered.” He is a psychopath, which is a personality disorder of the worst kind, who sexually assaulted and killed 11 children. The difference between Olson and Li comes down to the fact that Olson could appreciate what he was doing was wrong. He feels no empathy for his victims or their families, but knew the consequences of his actions. And even in his Special Handling Unit cell in Quebec, Olson gets at least an hour of recreation a day.
Due to the brutality of his actions it is too easy to see Li’s crime instead of his illness. What he did to McLean was awful and the family has every right to be upset, but the goal in Li’s case is proper treatment and rehabilitation. If his treatment team, who has spent more time with him in the last two years than anyone else, says a couple of short walks will help, it is in the public’s interest to take them at their word.
He is not a monster — his schizophrenia made him act like one. It is difficult not to judge him because of it but we should try anyway.
