An increasing number of inmates in Los Angeles is using the insanity defense to get out of jail or reduce their sentences. And former Detroit Lions second-round pick Titus Young, who is currently serving a four-year sentence Southern California prison, may have a slight chance to get released.
Young claims he had a mental illness when he committed the crimes he is in prison for. The NFL superstar says concussions sustained on a football field were responsible for the mental state that led to his multiple crimes and ultimately resulted in the four-year jail sentence he is currently serving.
Our Los Angeles assault and battery defense attorney at Okabe & Haushalter note, however, that the NFL player has not yet sought the help of lawyers to use the mental health defense in order to soften his jail sentence.
Instead, Young’s confession was obtained from his diary, excerpts of which were shared with the media.
Fact: about 10% of all prison and jail inmates across the country report a mental or emotional condition.
Many believe that Young could get released if he proves his mental illness was to blame for the behavior that led to his prison sentence. However, our best assault and battery defense attorneys in Los Angeles argue that while the chances to be released for the Los Angeles native are vague, he could get either a term of non-custodial probation or downgrade the severity of his charges.
Our attorneys at Okabe & Haushalter remind readers that Young had accumulated at least 25 criminal charges prior to his prison sentence. There had been behavioral concerns regarding Young for years before the former Detroit Lions player was thrown into jail.
Since 2013, the NFL player faced 25 criminal charges, including 10 for assault and battery. The charge that landed Young in prison was assault with a deadly weapon and felony battery that led to severe injuries in his acquaintance in early 2016.
In April of 2017, Young was sentenced to four years at California Rehabilitation Center. The NFL player is also serving a two-year sentence for a separate battery charger.
Given the severity (and the number) of his charges, Young citing mental state will most likely not help him get out of jail, our Los Angeles assault and battery defense attorneys explain.
However, if medical evaluation proves that concussions sustained during his football career impaired his mental state, Young could cite mental illness in court in order to reduce the severity of the charges and decrease his prison sentence.
Hiring an assault and battery defense attorney should be your first line of defense if you are a criminal defendant and believe that your psychiatric or psychological problems – or other mental health issues – altered behavior and led to the mistakes that a mentally healthy version of you wouldn’t make.
Here at Okabe & Haushalter, we offer our clients access to psychiatrists and medical professionals who will evaluate the state of your mental health and find evidence that your mental issues caused behavioral changes, recklessness, poor judgment or irrational behavior.
If you’re diagnosed with a mental illness, your charges could be reduced to a lower-level offense and/or a term of non-custodial probation. Whether or not you were charged with a violent or non-violent crime, seek the legal advice of a Los Angeles assault and battery defense attorney to evaluate your case.
Let our attorneys at Okabe & Haushalter offer you a free consultation and present you with an effective strategy to fight for your rights and, first and foremost, your freedom.
Call our offices at 310-430-7799 or complete this contact form for a free case evaluation.
