Judge Orders Mental Exam for Jose Padilla

By Jeralyn, Section Terror Trials
Posted on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 01:25:00 AM EST
Tags: Jose Padilla (all tags)

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The federal judge presiding over the Jose Padilla trial ordered him to be mentally evaluated by Bureau of Prisons doctors.

Defense attorneys have argued that 3-1/2 years of torture and solitary confinement in a military brig had left Padilla mentally ill and unable to understand the charges against him or assist in his defense.

Prosecutors have emphatically denied that Padilla was mistreated in any way but did not object to his undergoing a mental exam.

Is that because they have faith the BOP shrinks will rule for them?

Padilla, 36, is a U.S. citizen who was arrested in Chicago in May 2002 and accused by the Bush administration of being an al Qaeda operative who plotted to detonate a radioactive "dirty bomb" in the United States.

The defense alleges that he was assaulted, drugged, deprived of sleep, subjected to extreme temperatures and shackled for hours in painful positions after President George W. Bush ordered him held in military custody as an "enemy combatant."

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Judge Orders Mental Exam for Jose Padilla | 10 comments (10 topical)

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His jailers and interrogators had (none / 0) (#1)
by Edger on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 09:39:06 AM EST

total control over all of his sensory input - over everything that went into his eyes, ears... brain.

I don't imagine they overlooked that they also had total control over and could manipulate everything that went into his mouth in his food.

I think it would be a good idea if his attorneys would arrange for a complete physical, nutritional evaluation, and assessment of whether or not he suffers from malnutrition that might affect his brain functioning and mental health.

I wonder (none / 0) (#2)
by aw on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 10:02:22 AM EST

whether there would be enough evidence to determine that; maybe in his hair?


I don't know (none / 0) (#3)
by Edger on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 10:10:17 AM EST

But I'm sure there are some standard medical screening tests for malnutrition, hormonal & chemical imbalances, and poisonings, that could be done. I would hope that a competent psychiatrist might order tests like this as part of a psych evaluation, wouldn't they?


I would just hope (none / 0) (#4)
by aw on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 10:15:00 AM EST

that tests like that could be conducted without traumatizing him further (liver and fat biopsies, etc.)


Yeah, I get you (none / 0) (#5)
by Edger on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 10:19:03 AM EST

From Hegarty's affidavit of her interviews of him it seems that pretty much everything traumatizes him now...


Makes ya proud to be 'Murkin, don't it? (none / 0) (#6)
by Bill Arnett on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 02:58:33 PM EST

Used to be (none / 0) (#7)
by Jen M on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 06:47:20 PM EST

a great country


It's maybe paradoxical... (none / 0) (#8)
by Edger on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 06:57:21 PM EST

...but maybe not. Sometimes I get the feeling that the bush years will turn out to be the dark background against which all the light and good that America can be and is will be seen and known more clearly.

Helluva a legacy, though.


: I hope you're right (none / 0) (#9)
by aw on Tue Dec 19, 2006 at 09:57:29 PM EST

: I have long believed and asserted that... (none / 0) (#10)
by Bill Arnett on Wed Dec 20, 2006 at 02:20:07 PM EST

bush has brought back the Dark Age and all it's concomitant evils.