Insanity defense

Mental Illness has a stigma that most people do not want to be associated with. Some would rather not seek help with mental health diagnosis because of the fear of being called crazy. This being the reason that when someone finds himself or herself in a mental health crisis they have a better chance of running into law enforcement officials rather than seek medical help. This mentality adds almost 2million people that have a mental illness into Jails in the United States. Fifteen percent of…

Women and men of the jury, Judge Taylor, people of the court, my defendant Mary Maloney is not guilty of first-degree murder as charged! My client has claimed defense of insanity. On the day of Mr. Maloney’s death Mrs. Maloney was at home waiting for her husband to come home. When Mr. Maloney arrived at home he seemed rather disturbed. On the other hand Mrs. Maloney was happy to see her husband. The Maloney’s usually went out on Thursday nights. According to the police report, on this…

audience of his many plays to the intricate lives of his developed characters. The notion of revenge pulls the audience into the storyline of Hamlet’s insanity and revenge plot. Hamlet is faced…

Primal Fear is a movie about a well knows Archbishop that was murdered. The police arrested a young altar boy that they believe killed the archbishop because he was caught fleeing the scene covered in his blood. In the movie I noticed the attorney wanted to defend the young boy, but he knew the boy would not be able afford his service. So when the attorney went to see the boy he told him he would defend him pro bono. Pro bono is when someone gives their services for free. (Page 185) At the…

mother and child included, illustrates how self defense was punishable by death for those around and including the culprit. If Hamp Biscoe had let the officers trespass onto his property unalarmed, it most likely would have ended with the lynching of Hamp Biscoe. But since Biscoe had shot a Caucasian man, his actions exceed the punishment for one person and extend to his immediate family in the white man’s mind. Shooting the white constable in self defense of one’s property had proven that…

Rodeo Thompson Sarah Jane Whiteling Sarah Jane Whiteling was born in the mid-1800’s, a tough time in history to be alive. She lived in Pennsylvania with her husband, a son, and a daughter. Sarah was accused and found guilty of killing her entire family by the method of poisoning from common rat poison which contained arsenic. Her sickly husband was the first to die on March 20, 1888, followed by her nine-year old-daughter, Bertha in April and her two-year-old son, Willie in May of the same year.…

made and released in. The movie deals with a few legal and ethical issues from start to end. One of the things I noticed in the viewing was how close the defense attorney was to crossing some ethical lines. For example, during the consultation with the client he immediately jumps to the conclusion that the only way out is by creating a defense…

Prosecutor, with what form of homicide would I charge Richard? Types and characteristics of Homicides There are four types of homicide; 1. Justifiable homicide, which relates to self-defense, defense of others, defense of home. Police use of deadly force. 2. Excusable homicide, which denotes insanity, diminished capacity, or by infants. 3. Murder, which is neither justifiable or excusable. 4. Manslaughter, all homicides without malice aforethought that are committed without…

Truman Capote’s In Cold Blood takes a plunge into the deepest depths of the Clutter family murders of Holcomb, Kansas. Although Capote’s original intent was to publish an article about the effect of the murders on the small town, his work gradually transformed into something completely different. After hours upon hours of interviews and research, Capote decided to take his piece in a whole new direction, painting a truly accurate picture of the murderers. He included in depth descriptions of the…

In 1960, Dusky v. United States ruled that the test must decide whether the defendant has sufficient present ability to consult with his attorney with a reasonable degree of rational understanding, and whether he has a rational, as well as factual understanding of the proceedings against him. To fully understand this ruling, it is necessary to break down the true meaning. Present ability refers to their mental capacity at the time of the trial; this is important because the defendant’s mental…