The United States' Relationship With the Insanity Defense Before and After United States v. Hinckley
Start Date
5-1-2019 2:00 PM
End Date
5-1-2019 2:15 PM
Disciplines
History of Science, Technology, and Medicine | Legal | Psychiatry and Psychology | United States History
Subjects
Insanity defense -- United States -- History, Insanity (Law) -- United States -- History, Insanity (Law) -- United States -- Cases, Law -- United States -- Psychological aspects
Abstract
The United States legal system has had a fluctuating relationship with the insanity defense for decades, and the trial of United States v. Hinckley was a critical milestone for this development. Before John Hinckley, Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and the jury of his trial found him not guilty, American society generally supported the insanity defense, but both the public and the government were outraged after Hinckley’s verdict. This outrage and the subsequent political backlash against the insanity defense were motivated by progress in the area of mental illness treatment in the United States. In the early twentieth century, acquittal by the insanity defense still often led to imprisonment in a mental institution for life. When conditions and treatment improved for those with mental illness, American society no longer viewed acquittal by the insanity defense as enough of a punishment. This is what led to the shift in opinion after United States v. Hinckley.
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Persistent Identifier
https://archives.pdx.edu/ds/psu/28514
Included in
History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Commons, Legal Commons, Psychiatry and Psychology Commons, United States History Commons
The United States' Relationship With the Insanity Defense Before and After United States v. Hinckley
The United States legal system has had a fluctuating relationship with the insanity defense for decades, and the trial of United States v. Hinckley was a critical milestone for this development. Before John Hinckley, Jr. attempted to assassinate President Ronald Reagan in 1981 and the jury of his trial found him not guilty, American society generally supported the insanity defense, but both the public and the government were outraged after Hinckley’s verdict. This outrage and the subsequent political backlash against the insanity defense were motivated by progress in the area of mental illness treatment in the United States. In the early twentieth century, acquittal by the insanity defense still often led to imprisonment in a mental institution for life. When conditions and treatment improved for those with mental illness, American society no longer viewed acquittal by the insanity defense as enough of a punishment. This is what led to the shift in opinion after United States v. Hinckley.