The imposition of the insanity defense is a complicated psycho-legal scenario. Globally, definitions of insanity differ from country to country. In a multitude of cases, a determination of insanity at the time of a criminal act means the offender will not be considered responsible for his or her action(s). In many jurisdictions, concerns have been raised that the insanity defense has been used ...

For centuries, Anglo-Saxon common law tradition has tended to limit voluntary intoxication as a defense on both mens rea (so-called diminished capacity defenses) and insanity. A new decision by the Supreme Court of Canada has clarified for Canadian jurisdictions whether voluntary substance-induced psychosis is a mental disorder for the purposes of determining insanity. In the United States, the...

Thirty-three insanity acquittees who had refused drug treatment were matched to a sample of nonrefusing hospitalized insanity acquittees in an attempt to measure the effect of treatment refusal on length of hospital stay. No measurable effects on the length of hospitalization were found. However, upon comparing the amount of time under court jurisdiction spent in the hospital and on conditional...

We present a case of shared psychotic disorder involving three sisters who were successful in establishing an insanity defense on numerous felony charges in the South Carolina criminal court system. Two of the authors of this article were court-appointed examiners in this case. We then present a history of shared psychotic disorder, an overview of the use of this diagnosis in the defense of ins...

In his Trial by medicine (1981) Roger Smith gave a magisterial account of the history of forensic psychiatry in the late-nineteenth century, mainly focusing on insanity pleas in the murder trials that took place after the McNaughton Rules of 1843. Smith's basic picture is that of a titanic battle of ideas between law and psychiatry, between the two incommensurable concepts about human agency. W...

At least 17 jurisdictions permit insanity defenses to be entered over the objections of defendants. Those jurisdictions believe that society's interest in a just determination of the charges outweighs a competent defendant's choice. If competency includes the ability to rationally choose a plea, competent defendants should not be forced to enter insanity defenses against their wills.

Rauwolfia serpentina, Benth, commonly known as Insanity herb has been used for a long time in Ayurvedic System of Indian Medicine. It has been highly advocated as a general sedative in sleeplessness, anxiety neurosia and hysteria and in the treatment of epilepsy, maniacal and acute insanity. Siddiqui & Siddiqui (19321935) studied the chemistry of some of the active principles extracted from the...

The role of exogenous substances in the genesis of mental symptoms has found relevance in some jurisdictions when a defense of settled insanity is raised. However, the current nosology and knowledge base reveal ambiguity and unresolved questions about the present science related to settled insanity.

Lecture, on heredity in relation to mental disease and mental deficiency by Sir Frederick Mott, and also the obituary notice of the distinguished author. The lecture is an important contribution to the problem of insanity and mental deficiency. Sir Frederick opened his lecture by asking whether the increase in the number of registered cases of insanity is due to a raising of the standard of men...

This article reviews the recent literature documenting changes that have taken place in the management and treatment of insanity defense acquittees with the development of conditional release and monitored community treatment. The review demonstrates that conditional release is particularly important as a means of balancing the protection of society with the treatment of insanity defense acquit...