The AP (1/4, O’Dell) reports that advocates for civil liberties and mental health issues “are urging Gov. Terry McAuliffe [D-VA] to intervene in the case of a Virginia inmate with autism who faces trial Wednesday for allegedly assaulting a correctional officer.” Attorneys and supporters of Reginald “Neli” Latson maintain that “he needs treatment, not punishment, for intellectual disabilities that they say have caused his three clashes with law enforcement since 2010.” The governor has been asked “to grant conditional clemency so Latson can be moved to a secure treatment facility in Florida that has agreed to accept him.”
Related Links:
— “MENTAL HEALTH ADVOCATES SEEK RELIEF FOR AUTISTIC VA. INMATE,” Larry O’Dell, Associated Press, January 4, 2015.