Jonathan Ross
- example of insanity defence
- killed sister because thought she was a robot spy
definition of schizophrenia Schizophrenia
- disease of psychosis, with a variety of perceptual, cognitive, and social abnormalities
- NOT A SPLIT PERSONALITY
What are 5 domains of abnormalities in schizophrenia?
- Delusions- beliefs that involve misinterpretations of experience or perception (positive symptom)
- Hallucinations- distortion of perception in any sensory modality (positive symptom)
- disorganized thinking (speech) (positive symptom)
- disorganized or abnormal motor behaviour (positive symptom)
- negative symptoms- diminution or loss of abnormal functioning
Most common type of hallucinations in schizophrenia?
auditory
What is the definition of non bizarre delusions?
something that could conceivably happen
ie. being followed by CIA
What is the definition of bizarre delusions?
no conceivable way something could happen
ie. aliens are watching you and want you to come to their spaceship
definition of tangentially
answering question in unrelated way
- type of disorganized thinking (symptom of schizophrenia)
definition of catatonia
abnormality of movement caused by a mental disorder
ie. repetitive action
- symptom of schizophrenia
definition of borderline personality order
pervasive pattern of instability of interpersonal relationships, self image and affects and marked by impulsivity
-begins in early childhood
To be diagnosed with borderline personality disorder you need?
5 or more of following:
- frantic efforts to avoid real or imagined abandonment
- pattern of unstable and intense interpersonal relationships
- identity disturbance
- recurrent suicidal behaviour
- impulsivity in at least 2 areas that are set damaging
- affective instability
- chronic feelings of emptiness
- inappropriate intense anger
- transient stress related paranoid ideation
definition of command hallucination
a message, from no external source, telling you to do something
ie. to jump off a bridge
- symptom of schizophrenia
who are worst types of patients? (based on out of sight out of mind video)
- female patients
- female patients more violent inside hospital
- male patients more violent outside hospital
what is an absolute discharge?
no longer in hospital but is still being monitored
ie. outreach-must check in with hospital
Aristotle
- first to speculate about culpability and who be be held accountable
- said free will was essential for blame worthiness (need sound mind)
Edward Arnold and Lord Onslow (nobleman)
- 1724
- first application of aristotles belief in judicial system in Britain
- said Arnold could only be culpable if he didn’t know what he was doing more than infant or wild beast
What is the Wild Beast Test?
- first case was arnold and onslow
- can only be convicted if they have more insight to what they did than a wild beast
what are the 3 elements in McNaughton Rules
- defendant suffering defect of reasoning, from disease of mind
- as result, defendant didn’t know the nature and quality of the act he was doing
- inquiry has been conducted to determine whether defendant knew what he was doing was wrong
How was the McNaughton rules formed?
- 1834
- Robert McNaughton found not guilty of assassination attempt on British PM by reason of insanity
guilty but mentally ill
- available in 13 states
- has to go to mental hospital and when healthy again they serve the rest of term that would have been sentenced if not mentally ill in prison
- seems cruel and unjust
What is a actus reus?
the act of committing a crime
what is mens rea?
the intent of committing a crime
8 myths about using insanity card in court
- insanity defence is overused
- 0.9% use it, 26% successful - defendants who plead guilty are faking
- pleading guilty is used by defence attorneys to get their clients acquitted
- insanity defence is used almost exclusively in cases that involve violent crimes
- there is no risk to the defendant who pleads guilty
- spend much less time in custody than defendants convicted of same offence
- insanity acquits quickly released from custody
- trials involving insanity defence almost always feature battle of experts
Cameron (1953)
- believed in humane treatment of psychiatric patients
- found patients are self sabotaging so they wouldn’t have to leave
definition of automatism
- perpetration of crimes that is involuntary
can lead to NCRMD - 2 types: insane and sane
