Thank you for your editorial, "Freedom for sale" (Jan. 16), in which you advocate for reforming Maryland's current and antiquated bail system. I could not agree more, particularly as it relates to the Bishop Heather Cook case.
Each detail to emerge over the weeks since Bishop Cook's drunk driving and texting resulted in the untimely and tragic death of Tom Palermo has been disheartening and, frankly, infuriating. One of those "details" which I hope factors in heavily when she is eventually in court is the fact that she returned to the scene of the fatal accident only after talking to friends who reportedly advised her to do so.
In the addiction world, the concept of a healthy internal locus of control is a key element in recovery. Those with active addictions have often lost or, depending upon age of onset of substance abuse, never developed this internal (versus external) locus of control. The result is often seen not only in poor decision making but also in a tendency to place blame outside oneself for one's behaviors rather than accepting full responsibility.
Heather Cook's substance abuse history and her previous DUI in 2010, combined with her already having spent six months in a rehabilitation program, suggest that her decision-making capacity is sufficiently impaired to make her a high-risk to self and, of infinite importance, to others. It is regrettable that she was able to purchase her way out of jail. In cases such as these, freedom should not be for sale.
Myra MacCuaig, Towson