Alleged killer mom Corie Walsh ruled too dangerous to return home but psychiatrist warns risk can change

An Illinois judge found Corie Walsh too dangerous to release after prosecutors alleged the Frankfort mother posed a threat to her husband and three surviving children after she was charged with murdering her 2-year-old son, Barrett.But forensic psychiatrists say "dangerousness" is not a permanent label.Instead, it is a forward-looking assessment that can change as a person's mental condition improves through treatment.Walsh, 40, remains held without pretrial release after a Will County judge denied her request to leave custody during a detention hearing earlier this month.LINDSAY CLANCY FIXATION AND ALLEGED PLOT TO POISON HUSBAND EMERGE AS ACCUSED MOM CLAIMS PSYCHOSISThe judge also ordered that Walsh immediately receive psychiatric medication after her attorneys said she had gone days without treatment despite a hospital recommendation that she receive around-the-clock psychiatric care.Corie A.

Walsh, 38, in a booking photo provided by law enforcement.Prosecutors are asking a judge to deny her pretrial release following the death of her 2-year-old son.

(Will County Detention Facility)Prosecutors argued Walsh should remain behind bars because, beyond the allegations surrounding Barrett's death, she allegedly threatened to kill her husband after her arrest.The judge agreed, finding Walsh posed too great a danger to release before trial.LINDSAY CLANCY’S FUTURE COULD REST WITH ‘PROSECUTION DOCTORS’ AS CASE ECHOES INFAMOUS MAINE KILLINGS: EXPERTThe ruling raised a broader question that extends beyond Walsh's case: What does it actually mean when a judge determines someone is too dangerous to release?Under Illinois law, judges deciding whether a defendant should remain jailed before trial evaluate the person's current risk to others rather than punish past conduct.Dr.

Stephen Dinwiddie, a professor of psychiatry at Northwestern University with four decades of forensic psychiatry experience, said psychiatrists approach dangerousness the same way – as a forward-l...