Raw Data: Sarah Brady Letter

WASHINGTON – The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia made the following letter written by Sarah Brady public:

The Honorable Paul L. Friedman

Dear Judge Friedman:

Thank you for giving me the opportunity to share with you my feelings on the request for John Hinckley (search) to be afforded unsupervised visits with his family. I realize that since there was no conviction in this case, a victim's impact statement is not in order so I am doubly appreciative.

My main concern is with the certainty that Mr. Hinckley is indeed not a danger to himself or anyone else. While I am a great believer in mental illness rehabilitation, it goes without saying that the field of Psychiatry is an inexact science. Mr. Hinckley throughout his lifetime has demonstrated both a history of lying and of deceiving others. He has been extraordinarily crafty on many occasions. In the past he has lied to and fooled his parents, his doctors and law enforcement. I cannot say that at thus juncture I feel confident or even comfortable that he has not, yet again, fooled the doctors and his family.

Mr. Hinckley has wreaked havoc on the lives of so many people, including those of my husband and family. If he were indeed well wouldn't he feel uncontrollable remorse? To the contrary, he has never demonstrated any sorrow for nor apologized to Jim Brady or the other victims.

Another grave concern of mine is who will watch out for him in the future. If these visits are allowed, what happens next? His parents are growing older. It just doesn't seem at all appropriate to release someone back into society who has demonstrated such violence and deceit in the past, without an absolute certainty that he is well and that there is a failsafe plan for the years to come.

Lastly, we do fear for our safety. At one time we had a law suit against Mr. Hinckley which he fought vigorously. There would be no peace of mind at all for us in the future. He ruined Jim Brady's life once; we don't want him to do so again - either physically or emotionally.

Again, Your Honor, thank you for this opportunity to share my feelings with you.

Sincerely,

Sarah Brady