Hinckley wanted expanded visits to his family from the hospital where he has been for more than a quarter-century.

Hinckley has been committed to St Elizabeths Hospital in Washington since he shot Reagan in 1981. Hinckley was found not guilty by reason of insanity after he said he shot the president to impress actress Jodie Foster.

In court hearings that began on Monday, Hinckley's sister, Ms Diane Sims, testified that there has been no sign of any relapse in Hinckley's psychosis and depression, even as they mourned the death of their father in January. Ms Sims said Hinckley had been a stable comfort to their family.

'He was as much of a support to us as I believe we were to him,' Ms Sims said. Hinckley was 'somber' and 'very appropriate' as his father's health declined, Ms Sims said, despite having to return to the mental hospital the day before the death.

During an emergency visit to attend the funeral, Hinckley introduced himself to dozens of guests he had never met.

'How did he do in this kind of setting?' US District Judge Paul L. Friedman asked Ms Sims.

'He did very well,' she said, adding that Hinckley stood with the family and introduced his niece and nephew to the guests. 'He was very much in control of himself.' Hinckley's brother Mr Scott Hinckley also testified on Monday, echoing many of Ms Sims' comments.

Hinckley is seeking an increase from six nights to nine nights the length of his periodic visits to his mother's home in Williamsburg, Virginia, about 150 miles south of Washington. He also wants to do volunteer work during the visits and to get a driver's license. Prosecutors also are opposing the hospital's proposal to allow Hinckley to perform volunteer work in the District of Columbia unaccompanied for up to four hours, twice per week.

Assistant US Attorney Thomas Zeno said the request to expand Hinckley's release was 'premature and insufficient to guarantee the safety of the community.' Prosecutors stressed Hinckley's 'lack of initiative' in finding a volunteer position.

Prosecutors also argued that Hinckley's personal relationships show a pattern of inappropriately dating more than one woman at the same time. They quoted a doctor who said Hinckley likes to 'stockpile women,' but didn't present evidence he'd mistreated them.

Psychologist Paul Montalbano, the pretrial services chief at St Elizabeths Hospital, said it appears Hinckley's 'major depressive disorder has been in full, sustained remission for 25 years' since his last suicide attempt in 1983. He said Hinckley was 'remarkably stable' for the hospital's population but that political factors were complicating his release procedures. -- AP