John Hinckley, Jr.
A federal judge has ruled 58-year-old John W. Hinckley Jr. should have more time at his mother’s James City County home.
Hinckley — who was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1981 shooting of President Ronald Reagan and three others — will now see his monthly visits to his mother’s home expanded from 10 to 17 days per month.
The ruling was handed down in a 106-page opinion Friday. Hinckley must successfully complete eight of the visits before the court will consider any further proposals from him or St. Elizabeths, the Washington, D.C., hospital where he has lived since 1981. According to the opinion, the court is confident that “under appropriate conditions, Mr. Hinckley will not likely be a danger to himself or others if his visits to Williamsburg are expanded from ten days to seventeen days.”
Hinckley has been making 10-day trips to his mother’s James City County residence for almost four years. He has completed 33 visits.
Hearings began in November 2011 to explore the possibility of Hinckley getting more visitation privileges. That proposal, from St. Elizabeths, asked for two visitation periods of 17 days at his mother’s residence. Had those visits gone smoothly, the proposal asked for Hinckley to be given a conditional release from the hospital to live with his mother on convalescent leave with psychiatric services provided locally.
In the opinion from Judge Paul L. Friedman of the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, several rules are laid out for Hinckley.
He is allowed to drive unaccompanied to destinations where people are expecting him, as the court believes “permitting Mr. Hinckley to drive unaccompanied has the potential to promote his integration into the Williamsburg community, increase his sense of autonomy and self-confidence, and ease an unnecessary burden on his mother.” Hinckley had previously been required to have a family member in the car with him when he was driving.
Hinckley will receive treatment locally, including music therapy. In any long-term considerations involving Hinckley, his success with local treatment providers will be taken into account.
Friedman wrote that one of the greater difficulties in the case is the issue of unsupervised time in the community. He pointed specifically to two incidents, when he was supposed to be seeing a movie at a theater on his own. Instead, Secret Service agents tracking him determined he spoke with an attendant at the movie theater before going to a nearby Barnes & Noble.
Though the government in its case against him tried to make the argument Hinckley looked at books concerning presidential assassinations during his trip to the store, a Secret Service agent tracking him found Hinckley moved through the store for 45 minutes, browsing through several sections. He did stand for a few minutes in front of a bookcase in the American History section that contained books on President Reagan and assassinations. He again paused in front of a bookcase with books on presidential assassinations during his second visit to the store, though neither time did he touch or read any of the books.
Freidman noted that one thing he finds troubling is “Hinckley’s demonstrated willingness to be deceitful with his treatment providers and others.” He cited the two Barnes & Noble incidents and Hinckley’s subsequent lies to caretakers about what he did during the time he was supposed to be in the movie theater. Those incidents led to frequent surveillance from Secret Service agents, who found a low-key lifestyle that did not deviate from what his caretakers expected of him.
Another issue troubling Friedman is that Hinckley has “not yet taken significant steps to integrate himself into the Williamsburg community.” He identified a key question in the matter as to whether the support network of mental health professionals and Hinckley’s volunteer time at Eastern State Hospital will be enough to “provide a support network in Williamsburg that will be adequate to manage Mr. Hinckley’s risk of mental or emotional deterioration.”
Related Coverage:
- June 18, 2013: Hinckley’s Care Administrator Defends Long-Term Residency in James City County
- April 12, 2013: Secret Service Says Hinckley Has Acted Appropriately During Historic Triangle Visits
- Jan. 29, 2013: Hinckley’s Next Hearing Set for Feb. 25
- Jan. 16, 2013: Federal Judge Calls for Status Hearing on Hinckley
- Dec. 29, 2012: Hospital Files Petition to Grant Hinckley More Time in James City County
- Aug. 18, 2012: Local Provider Pulls Out of Hinckley Treatment, Prosecutors Ask Judge to Deny Longer Visits
- March 31, 2011: Hinckley Lawyers Ask Court for More Visits to Williamsburg
- June 16, 2009: Hinckley to Gain Driving Privileges, Longer Kingsmill Visits
- May 21, 2009: Hinckley Wants to do Volunteer Work on Williamsburg Visits
- July 21, 2008: Hinckley Doctors Seek More Visits to Williamsburg