Insanity Defense Pros And Cons

The Supreme Court tested again the procedure and criterion of competency for execution of a mental illness defendant in 2007 in Panetti v. Quarterman (Panetti I). The Supreme Court ruled in Panetti that to be executed an inmate must not only be aware of the reason for his execution, the inmate must have a rational comprehension of the State’s reasoning for his

Some say mental illness is an invisible disease, one that begins to eat someone from the inside out. Being mentally ill comes in many different forms: from basic depression and anxiety, to schizophrenia and depersonalization. These disorders can make a person feel as though they are losing control over what they are doing, as well as losing sight on what makes them normal. Mental illness can make a person do things that a normal person would not do, simple because of a person 's moral and ethical values. Sometimes, however, a person who is mentally ill commits crimes that are unforgivable. So, in lieu of these crimes, does that mean that the mentally ill should be punished, to the extremes of the death penalty, or should they be forced into

If an insanity plea is successful, it can be implied that mental illnesses can be dangerous or harmful. Also, that the person with the mental illness is going to be treated and hopefully learn how to handle such an illness. Then perhaps that person can go free after a while. On the other hand, if an insanity plea is unsuccessful, then it can be implied that the person with the illness may not get treatment. Although, if the person is just using a mental illness as an excuse, then he or she is giving other people with a mental illness a bad name.

Houston, Texas, was home to Andrea Yates; a wife and a mother to Randy Yates and their five children. One morning in the year 2001, she dialed, 911 breathing heavily into the phone “I need a police officer,” (O’Malley). The news over Andrea Yates drowning her children spread like wildfire across the nation, horrifying Americans. Following her confession, she pleaded innocent with the “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity” (NGRI) plea, yet the jury rejected her appeal and found her guilty of five accounts of first-degree murder. However, in the retrial of 2006, Yates’ abiding murder convictions were overturned, and Andrea Yates was found NGRI. The change in her verdict instigated disputes whether Andrea Yates was in fact mentally “insane” or criminally aware of her acts and avoiding her consequences.

Mental health courts handle people with mental illness who have been charged of a crime. Mental health court is defined as “a specialized court docket for certain defendants with mental illnesses” where the individual’s mental health is first evaluated (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2008, p.4). Then, judicial staff and mental health professionals decide a treatment plan for the person (Bureau of Justice Assistance, 2008). Mental health court is an acceptable system because it allows people with mental illnesses to be treated differently than in a traditional court system.

Depression is not acknowledged as a mental illness but a temporary sense of despair. The idea that neural activity and lack of serotonin production can be a propel for depression,

Although Capote acknowledges the atrocities committed by Perry, his utmost goal is to direct the blame on Perry’s insanity; therefore, Capote asserts that people with mental illness should not be put to death.

The biological explanations of depression refers to two factors one being neurotransmitter dysfunction and the other being inherited genes. The biological approach towards the neurotransmitter would explain how depression is associated with low levels of serotonin within the brain which would affect the functioning of the brain. This is associated with maladaptive behavior e.g. anger, mood disorder and anxiety. In terms of inherited genes the biological approach

In the village of Holcomb, Kansas a wealthy family, the Clutters, was murdered on November 14, 1959. Dick Hickock and Perry Smith were convicted of these murders and received the death penalty. In Truman Capote’s novel In Cold Blood, the audience receives different viewpoints on why Dick and Perry either deserved the death penalty or not. Though the decision to sentence someone to death should be based on the truth, the truth is not always easy to define; Capote shows this through his depiction of the controversial executions of Dick Hickock and Perry Smith.

Ken Kesey’s book titled “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” encapsulates the theme of insanity. The book questions not only the reader, but humanity on “What is insanity?” and therefore “What makes a person insane?”. An example of these moral questions is best displayed in the quote “Tell me why. You gripe, you bitch for weeks on end about how you can’t stand this place, can’t stand the nurse or anything about her, and all the time you ain’t committed. I can understand it with some of those old guys on the ward. They’re nuts. But you, you’re not exactly the everyday man on the street, but you’re not nuts.” [McMurphy pg.195]. Throughout the book, we, as the reader, can see that there is a fine line between normality and insanity. In fact, the

As of 1992, the Canadian Criminal Justice system introduced a new Law to its Criminal Code. NCR stands for “Not Criminally Responsible.” It is defined in section 16 of the Criminal Code." (LawFacts, N.d) This law enforces a program which contributes to progress, provides treatment, and just trial towards those with a mental illness. The NCR Law, was established to enforce just trial and stability to those who are mentally ill, within a mental health care facilitation rather than a prison. Therefore NCR, should remain as part of the Criminal Code in Canada

Based on the legal definitions and description of court cases in relation to those definitions, Ana’s case can correlate with the insanity defense due to her reaction to the crime. As stated previously, while asleep in the park a male attempted to wake the client up causing her to go into a rage yelling “ Get off of me!” as she stabs this individual. After committing the crime Ana then went to into a state of sobbing, as well as being easy to calm down. Ana was also able to cooperate during her arrest, but she did not want to discuss what had occurred. This situation can relate to the insanity defense due to the cause of Ana’s behaviors during and after her arrest. It also appears that her behaviors are a product of her sexual trauma involving

BOOM! To the front of the head. In a blink of an eye, she was gone. Betty Williams was a young Christian girl, but she also liked getting people’s attention by doing crazy things. Betty was well known for being in different plays. Betty talked to a lot of different guys throughout high school, but that did not get her anywhere. She had the biggest crush on the high school quarterback Mack Herring. Betty was well known around the school as a “Slut”. Betty was not happy with her life, so she was constantly asking her friends to kill her, but her friends always thought she was messing around. Then she asked Mack, and he had agreed to take her out of her misery. After she was killed, her parents had begun to wonder where Betty went. The police

Is the complex character created by Edgar Allan Poe a calculated killer or a delusional madman. In the short story “The Tell Tale Heart” by Edgar Allan Poe, the main character has a mental condition which causes him to kill a neighbor. He believes that his neighbor has a “vulture eye” which is the reason why he killed him. Night after night, he watches the man and plans how to kill him. Then one night, he puts his plan into action. He kills the man by slamming a bed over him, then he severs his body and hides him under the floor. Later that night, police come to investigate, but they don’t suspect him. He confidently invites the police man to talk in his house. He is overcome with guilt and ends up

In my opinion I don’t believe that the cognitive test goes far enough. The cognitive test is used in evaluating whether a defendant may rely on an insanity defense. [1] An insanity defense is pretty intense and hard to prove. The cognitive test eliminates other mental incapacity before they can be explained. Other tests will allow for other mental conditions to look at more in-depth.