Forensic Psychiatry Essay

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Forensic Psychiatry Insanity is the question of one’s state of mind during the commission of the crime. The issue of insanity is tied to the defendant’s behavior before, during, and after the crime(s) and how this behavior illustrates the defendant’s cognitive awareness of social reality, orchestration of planning, and avoidance of apprehension. (Seddon & Pass pg.36) Forensic psychiatry is a division of modern legal medicine. Forensic psychiatry focuses on issues of sanity, competency, medication and treatment. In the 1950s, forensic psychiatry developed the “psychological autopsy.” The psychological autopsy was developed to assist in the investigation of a questionable death. Through this process, authorities attempt to determine if the death was an accident or suicide. (Seddon & Pass pg.38) Investigations into crimes is an in-depth process that involves many steps. Once a suspect or subject has been arrested and charged with a crime(s), there are many steps to determine one’s mental competence. Some crimes, due to their nature or circumstances, may be justified by one being possible insane. Forensic psychiatry is one of the ways the court systems use to determine if one is able to stand trial or if there were uncontrollable behaviors that may have led them to commit the crime(s). …show more content…

For example, the M’Naughten Rule, was established in the 1840s after Daniel M’Naughten attempt to assassinate the prime minister of Britain. The M’Naughten Rule states that in order to establish the defense of insanity it much be proved that at the time of the act the accused suffered from a “defect of reason, from disease of mind,” that was such that he/she did not know the act he was doing or that it was wrong. (Seddon & Pass

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