Marine got 180 day jail sentence for "intentional self-injury" in suicide attempt

**Jenna** · 02-04-12, 07:40 AM

A discharged Marine private who slit his wrists in a suicide attempt is fighting his military conviction for deliberately injuring himself, arguing the punishment is inconsistent with the armed forces' efforts to battle a rise in suicides during the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Caldwell, 25, of Camp Pendleton, Calif., never deployed to a war zone but was diagnosed in 2009 with post-traumatic stress disorder and a personality disorder, according to court records. In 2010, he slashed his wrists in his barracks at Camp Schwab in Okinawa, Japan.
He pleaded guilty at a court-martial that year to "intentional self-injury without intent to avoid service," a criminal charge that the government says helps maintain good order and discipline in the armed forces. The charge is sometimes used in self-injury cases when there isn't enough evidence to prove malingering, military justice experts say.

Caldwell was sentenced to 180 days in jail and a bad conduct discharge. Military rules allow an appeal after a guilty plea in some cases, but Caldwell's initial appeal was denied in December. His lawyer, Navy Lt. Mike Hanzel, said this week he will ask the military's highest court, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces in Washington, to hear the case.

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/us/2012/02/02...#ixzz1lPtQJhHH