We are, only now, making attempts to overturn a vicious prejudice. The High Court has permitted the Irish Penal Reform Trust ((Irish Penal Reform Trust v The Minister for Justice (2005) High Court (unreported))) to bring civil proceedings on behalf of, or for the benefit of, all prisoners who are mentally ill.
Solon of Athens, in 590 BC, established the same principle; that a third party could bring an action on behalf of a victim.
What happened in the interval, that we find ourselves re-inventing the wheel, so to speak?