(Sept. 27, 2017) Lawrence David Butterfield was charged with the murder of his roommate, James Bradshaw, on November 18, 2010. Since that day, he has been caught in a revolving door.
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Butterfield’s case is not unique. He has been charged four times with the same first-degree murder case, each time, being deemed incompetent to stand trial because of his untreated schizophrenia. He is then civilly committed and sent back to Western State Hospital for competency restoration. As his condition improves, plans to discharge him into the community are made, and the process of bringing him back to court for trial begins once more.
Most recently, the plan was to release Butterfield into an adult-family home in Lakewood, Washington on September 11, 2017. This sparked an outcry from the community. In an article by The Columbian, Senator Steve O’Ban is quoted as arguing that “there is no excuse to release into a community of vulnerable people a man with a history of extreme violence who is still dangerous, still having hallucinations, and still incompetent to stand trial,” O’Ban said. “We passed a law to stop Pierce County from being a dumping ground for dangerous people and we intend to see it enforced.” (“Man set to be released from Western State,” The Columbian, September 10, 2017)
The public outcry and inadequate housing have put a hold on his release. For now, Butterfield’s future remains uncertain.
The majority of states do not provide sufficient support for individuals like Butterfield to be reintegrated into the community. Without adequate support and evidence-based treatment, these individuals are at a heightened risk of being re-arrested after their release.
In the Treatment Advocacy Center’s most recent report, Treat or Repeat: A State Survey of Serious Mental Illness, Major Crimes and Community Treatment, evidence-based programs, such as extended conditional release, forensic community treatment teams, and use of a psychiatric security review board, have all been found to improve the odds that an individual like Lawrence Butterfield can succeed in the community after being released from a jail or prison, or discharged from a psychiatric bed.
In the states that use evidence-based programs, Treat or Repeat found that the risk of re-arrest for individuals with serious mental illness who have committed major crimes went from 40%-60% to only 10% or less.
For more information on the benefits of evidence-based programs and to see the results of your state, read Treat or Repeat.
by Catherine Reed