Criminology: Sane for Insanity?

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Recommended: Mental illness and the insanity defense

Sane for insanity? Often times, the Insanity Defense is viewed by the public as an excused for criminals who are trying to be free of a sentence in jail.That may be the case for a small portion of the time, but that rarely works. It does not matter what the defendants mental ability is at the moment of a trial. The jurors focus on the mental capability at the moment the defendant committed the crime. There are several tests that are looked at in trying to find what the cause was for all of the commotion by the defendant in the committed crime to discover the level of their mental illness, or if there is an illness at all. The Insanity Defense helps the judicial system by having those who are not mentally stable put into an institution to acquire the help that they need, rather than be sent to jail where they might go more mad.
The Insanity Defense is a defendant seeking a non-guilty verdict in a criminal trial for his or her state of mind. “Insane” is a medical term, not legal (Ferguson 1) which was decided by careers in the psychiatric and legal fields. When a criminal offender has repeated abnormal behavior, antisocial conduct, is continuously displayed the defense ignores their plea and they are charged guilty. Not all fifty states accept the insanity defense, however they allow pleads with mental disabilities if it negates a culpability element (Robinson 6).The requirements and standard structure that are common for disability excuses are reflected by the defense. The defense helps those that are handicapped by a disease or defect that provides an excuse based off of their mental condition. The verdict can only be charged guilty by reasons of insanity if the defendant has a dysfunction in relation to the offense court. The def...

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...Dec.
2013. http://historyforensicpsych.umwblogs.org/the-insanity-defense-outline-by-andrew- garofolo//the-insanity-defense-outline-by-andrew-garofolo/the-durham-rule/ Good Question: How Does An Insanity Defense Work? Rep. Heather Brown. CBS Minnesota, 2
April 2013. News.
Hoffman, Morris B., and Stephen J. Morse. “The Insanity Defense Goes Back on Trial.” The
New York Times. 30 July 2006. Print
Robinson, Paul H. An Overview of the Effect of Mental Illness Under U.S. Criminal Law. 10 Oct.
2013. PDF File. 19 Nov. 2013.
=1493&context=facultry_scholarship>.
Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Service. Evaluation of Sanity at the
Time of the Offense- §19.2 - 169.5. 16 July 2012. PowerPoint Slides. 25 Nov. 2013.
.

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