Analysis of group process dynamics

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 as being "uncomfortable in social situations, according to classmates" (Marin, 2012). 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 need stable access to continuing mental health treatment to deal with being integrated back into society. This is essentially one of the aims for reintegrating all former inmates into society, no matter what type of crime they had been sentenced for. For an inmate with clear mental health conditions to successfully reintegrate with society, that individual would need access to "adequate treatment" in order to achieve the "stabilization of any mental illness" (Golder, 2013). Peter had already remarried by the time of the tragedy. He had moved away from his son Adam in 2011 (Marin, 2012). In fact, Adam had completely cut off all communication with Peter, his father, back in 2010 (Huffington Post, 2013). This will set up serious difficulties for Peter being a catalyst for getting Adam to reintegrate smoothly. The two will need help reconnecting so that Peter can provide Adam with the support that he needs.