How the Insanity Acquittal Retards Treatment

In the continuing social debate about the insanity defense, little attention has been paid to the effects of the insanity acquittal on treatment. This article suggests that the insanity acquittal may retard treatment of mentally disordered and violent offenders. Failure to assign responsibility to a...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Law and human behavior 1984-12, Vol.8 (3-4), p.283-292
Main Author: Fein, Robert A
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acquittals
Criminals
Defendants
Guilty verdicts
Homicide
Human
Insanity Defense
Insanity defenses
Mental health
Mental illness
Mentally Ill Offenders
Psychiatric hospitals
Treatment Outcomes
Violence
Violent crimes
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Summary:In the continuing social debate about the insanity defense, little attention has been paid to the effects of the insanity acquittal on treatment. This article suggests that the insanity acquittal may retard treatment of mentally disordered and violent offenders. Failure to assign responsibility to a mentally disordered offender may lessen his/her initiative and emotional opportunity to make needed changes in perceptions and functioning. Three case studies illustrate the argument.
ISSN:0147-7307
1573-661X
DOI:10.1007/BF01044696