HEIDI COLLINS, ANCHOR: Also in court this hour, John Hinckley Junior, the man who tried to assassinate Ronald Reagan 22 years ago. Hinckley, who avoided prison when a jury found him insane, will tell a judge this hour that his mental condition has improved immensely. He is asking to travel without supervision. CNN's Patty Davis explains.</s>PATTY DAVIS, CNN CORRESPONDENT: John Hinckley is asking for more freedom today, specifically unsupervised visits to his family's home in Williamsburg, Virginia. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity in the 1981 attempted assassination of then President Ronald Reagan. He was committed to St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Washington, D.C. Since then, Hinckley has been fighting for conditional release. He is now allowed to have supervised trips in the D.C. area with his family, but not visits on his own. Prosecutors are opposing Hinckley's conditional release, saying he has a history of deception and violence. And they say he bears the burden of proving that he is not a danger to public safety. Hinckley's lawyers contend he is no longer dangerous and that his mental condition has improved, and that unsupervised visits would help his treatment. Hospital staff agree Hinckley is much better, but they're backing a more gradual conditional release, unsupervised visits with his family here in D.C., rather than in Williamsburg, Virginia, to see how it goes. If he prevails in court today, it would mark the first time that John Hinckley would be allowed to venture out on his own off hospital grounds in more than 20 years. Patty Davis, CNN, Washington.</s>COLLINS: And Patty Davis is inside that courtroom right now. She will also have a live report for us, just as soon as the hearing is over.
John Hinckley Asks Judge for Unsupervised Leave