United States v. Walker

MEMORANDUM AND ORDER

PECKHAM, District Judge.

This case demonstrates in the strongest terms the glaring need for federal legislation in regard to long-term detention for treatment of mentally incompetent defendants. As the situation exists at present, federal courts face a painful dilemma: either to confine the accused in flagrant violation of certain due process rights, or to release from custody an individual dangerous both to himself and to the community. Federal legislation allowing for long-term treatment of an incompetent could provide a successful resolution to the problem, but such…