Insanity+Plea

[|sych+history+slides.ppt]Insanity Plea

[|History Students: discuss 2 or 3 famous examples of the use of the insanity plea.] [|Psych Students: discuss meaning of "insanity", use of polographs in court, anti-social personality disorders/serial killers.]

[|**__Hannah:__** Insanity is generally when a person is considered insane and is not responsible for criminal conduct if, at the time of the offense, as a result of a severe mental disease or defect, he was unable to appreciate the nature and quality or the wrongfulness of his acts.] [|-This reasoning is, because willfull intent is an essential part of most offenses, a person who is insane is not capable of forming such intent. Mental disease or defect does not alone constitute a legal insanity defense. The defendant has the burden of proving the defense of insanity by clear and convincing evidence.] [|-The strict M'Naghten standard for the insanity defense was used until the 1950s and the Durham v. United States case. In the Durham case, the court ruled that an person was legally insane if he "would not have committed the criminal act but for the existence of a mental disease or defect."] [|-The Durham standard was a much more lenient guideline for the insanity defense, but it addressed the issue of convicting mentally ill defendants, which was allowed under the M'Naghten Rule. However, the Durham standard drew much criticism because of its expansive definition of legal insanity.] [|http://crime.about.com/od/issues/a/insanity.htm] [|The insanity defense reflects a compromise on the part of society and the law. On the one hand, society believes that criminals should be punished for their crimes; on the other hand, society believs that people who are ill should receive treatment for their illness. The insanity defense is the compromise: basically, it reflects society's belief that the law should not punish defendants who are mentally incapable of controlling their conduct.] [|In the 18th century, the legal standards for the insanity defense were varied. Some courts looked to whether the defendant could distinguish between good and evil, while others asked whether the defendant "did not know what he did." By the 19th century, it was generally accepted that insanity was a question of fact, which was left to the jury to decide.] [|http://www.law.cornell.edu/background/insane/insanity.html] [|**Insanity**, while commonly mistaken for a clinical diagnosis, is actually a legal term (not psychiatric or psychological). Insanity refers to a person's state of mind at the time an offense was committed. It really means that a person was mentally disordered when they committed the offense and therefore cannot be held criminally responsible for their actions. Studies suggest that the insanity defense is used in only one percent of all U.S. felony criminal cases.(http://captain.park.edu/research/insanity_plea.htm)Researchers show that people with insainty spend more time in mental insitutions as they would spend in prision if convicted.(the most important cases are the**__DEREK:__**] [|This is just some general stuff about the psych part of the project.] [|The use of **polygraphs** in court is suspect because they have only proven to be accurate about 2/3 of the time. They work by detecting stress levels in your body. People often get nervous when taking them, skewing the results even if they are telling the truth. There is a good overview of polygraphs in the Psychology textbook in Ms. Cavanaugh's room.Polygraphs have been misnamed "lie detectors" even though they merely measure physiological changes, not anyone's capacity to lie. A normal polygraph consists of 3 measurements: heart rate/blood pressure, skin conductivity, and respiration. There are many different styles of questioning used when conducting a polygraph tests, the most common of which is called the Control Question Test (CQT), which compares the responses of "control" questions (questions not pertaining directly to the specific issue) with "relevant" questions that do involve matters pertaining to the issue at hand. There has always been controversy as to the validity of polygraphs, namely because different people may respond differently to the various questions posed, which undoubtedly would muddle the results. Most scientists and psychologists agree that polygraph testing is not very valid. Several counter measures to polygraph testing have been put forward, inlcuding drugs that alter arousal, physiological movements, and altering a person's own state of mind. United States Supreme Court v. Scheffer outlawed the judical use of polygraphs in court.] [|(2005, August 5). The truth about lie detectors (aka polygraph tests). Retrieved May 27, 2008, from Psychology Matters Web site: http://www.psychologymatters.org/polygraphs.htmlMore info about beating polygraphs can be found at http://antipolygraph.org/Pictures:polygraphtest: http://www.memorial.ecasd.k12.wi.us/departments/socistud/diz/Veterans/J/Je/JevneGeorgeC/police002.jpgpolygraphscreen: http://www.skeptic.com/eskeptic/07-10-03images/lie_detection_01.jpgcourt room: http://dspace.mit.edu/html/1721.1/39133/17-245Spring-2006/NR/rdonlyres/Political-Science/17-245Spring-2006/1991CBC3-A47C-4AEE-94D6-70A8D2BDCBB5/0/chp_suprem_court.jpggavel: http://captain.park.edu/research/insane3.jpg] [|**Antisocial Personality Disorder** affects males almost exclusively. It is usually characterized by a lack of conscience and an extreme lack of empathy towards others and their feelings. People with Antisocial Personality Disorder can be quite ruthless and pursue their own goals, however strange they may be, without regard or care for others. Again, the Psych book has a good synopsis of APD.**Insanity** is a legal term, and has no basis in psychology. Any kind of psychological disorders, including mood, psychotic, dissociative, or anxiety disorder could potentially be used as a basis for an insanity plea.**Malingering** is the attempt to fool the legal system by using an insanity plea in order to avoid punishment, even when the person does not have a psychological disorder. Similarly, symptoms and supposed disorders could be greatly exaggerated and lied about in order to avoid a more severe sentencing.] [|Richmond, R. L. (2008). Legal issues. Retrieved May 27, 2008, from Guide to Psychology Web site:][|http://www.guidetopsychology.com/legal.htm]

= = James: This is a pled from the 1980 of a man name John Wayne Gacy who was involved with the disappearance of a 15-year-old boy.the police investigaed the crawl space beneath Gacy's home the skeletons of over 30 youths was found there.He said that he did the killing but The jury rejected the plea, and Gacy was convicted and sentenced to deathThe jury rejected the plea, and Gacy was convicted and sentenced to death. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/crime/trial/other.html

Hannah: here is a picture that might work on a slide.

http://www.danscartoons.com/law29.jpg

Hannah : The McNaughton rule would probably be the best example to use in the slide. He killed the British prime minister because he thought that the prime minister was comprising him. "The McNaughton Rule" became standart in all court rules

__~KATHERINE~__ http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/reagan/peopleevents/pande02.html John Hinckley Jr. attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan because he wanted to win actress Jodie Foster's attention.The was aquitted by reason of insanity. http://www.daylife.com/photo/0b9JfQT6369Xk

The acquittal of John Hinckley in 1982 set off a groundswell of criticism against the insanity plea. Laws regarding insanity pleas were changed and the insanity defense was completely abolished in some states. In the case Dahmer the insanity plea was not accepted. "This is the reality of the insanity defense in America: difficult to plead, seldom used and almost never successful. But in that small number of cases where it is successful, it is sometimes manipulated or abused in a way that often grabs headlines and captures the imagination of the public. Ultimately, only a jury can decide the issue of insanity, which in itself may be the most controversial aspect about the insanity defense. "http://www.crimelibrary.com/criminal_mind/psychology/insanity/11.html

James: John Schrank institutionalized for life, 1912 New York bartender John Schrank shot Teddy Roosevelt at close range in Milwaukee, Wis., where the former president was campaigning for a second term. The bullet hit Roosevelt in the chest, piercing a metal eyeglasses case and a 50-page copy of the campaign speech he was carrying in his pocket. Defying his doctor's orders, Roosevelt insisted on delivering the speech as scheduled before going to the hospital. The bullet had lodged 3 inches inside his chest, but no vital organs were injured. He died several years later with the bullet still in his chest. Schrank was immediately arrested, and offered no reason for the attempted assassination. Later accounts reported that he said William McKinley had appeared to him in a dream and told him to kill Roosevelt. Before his trial began, a panel of doctors determined that Schrank was insane, and he was sentenced by a judge to life in an asylum. http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/crime/trial/other.html here a pic too.Sry about how big it is did not think it was so big.

James: So ye what do you want me to put on the 2 slide for the power point.Anything will do for me but if you have somthing you want me to put on one tell meI got one slide done 1 to go..

~Katherine~ I'm a tad bit confused. Everyone like did all the slides already. Question mark? Like I don't know what I'm supposed to even do now. Are we done?

James: I added my other slide and updated my powerpoint its the one called Test used in the.ppt That the 2 i had to do i think if anyone need anything added tell me