The federal government has made it a priority: to toughen laws that allow people who commit violent acts - even murder - to be found "not criminally responsible" due to mental illness. That's what happened to Jeffrey Arenberg, who was deemed NCR after he killed a popular Ottawa sportscaster in 1995 in what he says was an attempt to stop the voices he was hearing. Instead of facing time in prison, he went to a psychiatric facility for rehabilitation, and after nine years, he was allowed to live in the community once again, with no conditions for ongoing treatment. After several other well-known incidents where killers were found not criminally responsible for their acts, the government wants to designate "high-risk" NCR cases, where the accused person would face longer mandatory treatment. Some question whether these measures are being considered to ensure public safety or to pander to public opinion. In this provocative documentary from The Fifth Estate, host Bob McKeown interviews Arenberg for the first time since his arrest almost 20 years ago, as well as speaking to victims, lawyers and psychiatrists who frame the debate around NCR.

From the Curio.ca streaming audio-visual collection.