On January 7, 2017,
I was at Fort Lauderdale Airport in Florida,
and I was absolutely terrified.
Just a day before, Esteban Santiago Ruíz
had opened fire in the baggage claim and killed five people.
While the security in the airport was completely amped up,
I still felt insecure being there.
While I was waiting for my luggage,
I imagined the people in the same spot the day before me,
before experiencing
possibly the most traumatic and terrifying event of their lives.
I wondered what the killer must have thought
moments before opening fire on innocent civilians.
And I wondered what would come next for him.
The media was going absolutely insane,
suggesting that Esteban Santiago himself was mentally unstable.
It was in this moment that I questioned
how mentally ill individuals are prosecuted in the justice system.
Most people tend to judge mentally ill individuals
and are quick to want a harsh punishment.
However, they rarely ask what led the criminal to commit an act.
The first thing that must be taken into consideration
is that those who are considered mentally unstable
do not think like you or I do.
Their perception of reality is drastically different than ours.
Thus, their consequences should be treated differently as well.
In recent years,
the amount of mass shootings has increased dramatically.
A study conducted by the Central Florida Intelligence Exchange
has found that 79% of mass shootings since 2011
have been perpetrated by individuals
with demonstrated signs
of continuous behavioral health issues and mental illness.
However, most of these criminals are thrown into prison
and not treated according to their sickness.
Mentally ill individuals should not be prosecuted as a normal person would be,
as they are often denied the help they need.
There are not enough mental hospitals,
and prisons are seen as dumping grounds for psychiatric hospitals.
According to the Department of Justice,
nearly 1.3 million people are incarcerated in state and federal jails
compared to only about 70,000 people being served in mental hospitals.
If these people are not getting the help they need,
it is irrational to prosecute them
and condemn them for acting in ways they cannot control.
One of the reasons why they are denied this help they need
is because of the lack of mental hospitals.
According to the Huffington Post,
there are the same number of psychiatric hospital beds
as there were in 1850.
This is a huge issue because there are not the same number
of crimes committed by mentally ill individuals
as there were in 1850.
Not only are there not enough beds due to little funding,
they will often get turned away at hospital doors,
and it can take months to get an outpatient appointment.
Esteban Santiago Ruíz, the Fort Lauderdale Airport shooter,
is a perfect example of getting turned down
at a hospital door.
According to CNN, he had gone to a mental hospital to check himself in,
as he was suffering from hallucinations
and hearing voices that said to fight for ISIS.
However, after two days, he was released, and they returned the gun to him as well.
This shows the recklessness of the doctors that were treating him.
Considering the recent events linked to terrorism,
they should not have given such a weapon
to an ex-veteran who stated he wanted to fight for ISIS.
Now, Esteban Santiago faces prison time
instead of getting help in a real institution.
Jails are often seen as dumping grounds for mental hospitals.
Joe Parasceva, a mentally ill man,
voluntarily admitted himself into a hospital,
where two days later,
he was transferred to a prison cell after he tried to escape the ward.
There was an unavailability of medication and improved outpatient treatment,
but most of the change is no more than a switch
from a mental institution to a prison.
This is an issue, as instead of dealing and tackling
with the real issue behind the mental instability,
they just treat the patients with medications
or send them to prison in order not to deal with them.
This unveils a huge issue within our society,
one that demonstrates
that mentally ill individuals are seen as a burden.
While many people may state
that mentally ill indivduals are a danger to society,
they are a danger to themselves.
In fact, according to CNN,
people with serious mental illnesses
are three times more likely to commit an act again
compared to those who are not mentally ill.
This is an area of concern,
as people with mental illness are starting to commit suicide.
According to the Centers for Disease and Control Prevention,
61% of all firearm fatalities in the United States
were not only suicides,
but were committed by mentally ill individuals.
This contempt toward these people
often leads them to want very serious consequences
for the mentally unstable,
and they do not consider the disorders that they are dealing with.
This issue is something that is a recurrence,
and appropriate measures should be taken.
The government's role in this,
in mental health,
is to facilitate a person's needs by providing services,
research, and protecting the rights of every individual,
allowing them to receive the support they need
to achieve their life goals and contribute to society.
While it is completely reasonable
to want justice for the victims of mass shootings,
it should also be considered
that the person behind the trigger
also is a victim.
If they act in such ways because of their mental illness,
they should be getting help and not be punished in jails.
Most of these people are afraid of their own minds
and what they are capable of.
Thank you.
(Applause)