As a criminal justice major, I found this chapter particularly interesting. I tend to wrestle with the insanity plea. I realize that there are some cases where it is beyond evident that the person was criminally insane. However, for the most part I tend to see it as a cop out. I see it as a way for the defense to get their client freed from responsibility. I think that epically in the most famous cases, like Andrea Yeates, they use a “mental disorder or defect” to excuse the horrible crimes they have committed. Spending their lives in a hospital as opposed to a prison where they belong is letting them off easy. It seems like every day there are stories in the news about people doing the unthinkable and claiming that they aren’t mentally healthy
