Comments about ‘Attorneys want Elizabeth Smart's kidnapper sent to mental health facility, instead of prison’

yer kiddin

These Defense attorneys- should get nine months captivity in state prison at the point of the mountain to help them understand a little bit of what it might have been like.

Just because she has had remarkable support, counseling and a strong will of her own, does not mean that she did not suffer incredible psychological damage. What a crock! Hopefully, the judge is wiser than the lawyers (and it wouldn't take much).

So, I guess if Elizabeth were to keep playing the victim her whole life, Mitchell would deserve a harsher punishment? I guess if you have a strong support system to help you overcome tragedy, people can do unspeakable things to you and get off with a slap on the wrist? I really hope the judge sees past all this nonsense.

We should all hope and pray that the defense attorneys continue to provide the very best possible defense that Mitchell can get. For all of you who want to judge them, would you rather that Mitchell be able to appeal his sentence for having lousey representation? Get real people. Just hang in there and let them do their job and justice will prevail.

Remember that the constitution grants Mr. Mitchell the right to a fair trial, and if his lawyers didn't pursue every possible avenue on his behalf, he could ask to have the verdict or the sentence thrown out on grounds of ineffective assistance of counsel. Don't worry, folks, the judge and jury weren't born yesterday, and they can weigh both sides' arguments and reach an appropriate conclusion. Truth will prevail here.

I'm sorry but individuals, even the father, making such a claim are foolish, irresponsible, insensitive, and totally ignorant of the facts concerning the psychological effects of abuse on individuals, male or female. It may be awhile down the road, but I would dare say that Elizabeth Smart will experience emotional difficulties as the real trauma of those events begin to surface!

LOL! Give Mitchell 30 years of hard labor for standing behind this crock!

No Damage...You must be kidding me....Now I have read it all...

Probably one of the more disgusting headlines I have read in a long time. I can't even bring myself to read the article. My stomach is turning that much.

I was profoundly affected by the sexual abuse by my biological father, but the full effects were not felt until I got married and had to do with all the ramifications of sexual trauma. It has caused thousands and thousands of dollars of counseling, heartache to myself, my husband, and my children. The trauma doesn't just magically disappear. The internal system develops coping mechanisms that are not healthy enough to stand the constant abuse and until everything is looked at, and combed through, any sense of normality will be replaced by flashbacks, defense systems built up by the inner child to deal with the constant fear of "when is it going to happen next", ad infinitum. I pray for all victims of child molestation. The scripure that says "it is better that a millstone be hung around the neck" of anyone that offends little children is very apt in this situation.

No wonder that Shakespeare wanted to kill all of the lawyers.

This is an insult to the victim.

I can imagine that lawyer telling a judge, "While it is true that my client stabbed the victim with a knife, the victim didn't die and in fact has shown remarkable healing."

This kind of spurious argument reflects badly on our legal system and on our society.

Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped and raped repeatedly, and Mitchell says she wasn't traumatized by what he did to her. GEEZ LOUISE!!!!! What a bunch of "baloney" Mitchell is spreading.

Put the attorneys behind bars for even thinking this stuff. Now we know why lawyers are the brunt of so many mean jokes. Disgusting!!!

And in more news......lawyers go to school for YEARS to do what?

And they wonder why there are so many lawyer jokes......or was it joke lawyers.

Brian,

why don't you spend 9 months of captivity with me and we'll see how you feel about psychological damage

Why Ms Molli - what's it like to be just as deranged as the defense lawyers who lie awake night thinking up ways to get monsters such as Mitchell the freedom they need to keep on doing what they like best - raping, attacking, murdering innocent civilians and children. Go live with the likes of Mitchell. He doesn't deserve all the breaks the courts have given him thus far. I guess victims don't mean anything in your book, huh.

How are we going to believe Mitchell's attorneys when that memory scars of Elizabeth Smart still under repairing phases? It will take a lifetime of treatments to overcome that nightmarish moments of camping experiences.