Sandy Hook Case: Reintegrating Adam Lanza Into Society
The tragedy at Sandy Hook Elementary School will never be fully understood. How anyone could reign such terror on innocent children is mind numbing. Yet, if Adam Lanza were to have survived, he would have to deal with life after such a horrible massacre. If he had successfully been treated in a state mental health facility, it might have been possible for him to have one day re-entered the community. In such a situation, there would need to be ongoing treatment and supervision of Lanza himself, along with special health care services provided to Peter Lanza to help care for the ongoing treatment of his son. Overall, the community would also need to stand together and work towards a positive change in light of the tragic events that occurred in the sleepy Connecticut town.
Plan of Action
There are several areas in need of being addressed in regards to the services that would be offered to Lanza in order to successfully integrate him back into the community. Adam had previously shown unstable mental behavior before committing the heinous crime. Those who knew him described him as extremely introverted and isolated from society. Even when he was in high school, he was extremely shy and disconnected from all his surroundings. People have described him...
This type of isolated behavior only intensified as Adam grew older. In order for Adam to be reintegrated into society, he would need to develop social skills that would allow him to survive in the social world. From this perspective, it is clear that Adam would need support and help establishing relationships with members of the society. He would need support establishing the kinds of social skills that would allow him to succeed in the community outside of prison or a mental facility, including counseling and any medication needed. Moreover, "he was believed to have Asperser's syndrome" (Marin, 2012). This attested to his extreme introverted behavior, where he was also not emotional in the least. He would need consistent access to counseling services and any prescribed medication.
His behavior prior to the shootings is what would need to be avoided. Still, he has shown that he wants to avoid treatment in the past. He had previously shown anger and hostility towards a plan for entering a mental health facility (Huffington Post, 2013). Counselors and parole officers would have to make sure to establish a progressive connection and watch him to make sure he kept up with his treatment and medication schedule. It is clear that Adam would…
