Passage Response
Read the Passage below and explain do you agree or disagree, or can you relate to his or her opinion in the post? Can you add any thoughts or additional information that you may have found concerning their topic?
Being declared mentally ill and being declared insane are two different meanings. For an individual to be considered insane they must be deprived of memory and understanding, not able to function better than infant, or wild beast; thus called wild beast test (Huss, 2008). The irresistible impulse test was created to measure insanity, and even if a defendant knows the quality and nature of act and is aware its not right, they are not able to stop the behavior. Mental illness is a much broader term than insanity and insanity deals with severe episodes such as psychotic breaks with reality and mental illness deals with milder and severe parts of mental problems such as depression and anxiety (Dombeck, n.d.). While talking about insanity, if one has a mental illness they don’t have criminal responsibility. Insanity focuses on mental state at time of the offense. While insanity is a legal term, mental illness psychiatric term. Finally, insanity deals with impairment and is much more detailed and specific than having a mental illness (Huss, 2008). To be found not guilty by reason of insanity, one must be deprived of his memory and understanding, and not know what his is doing anymore than an infant or brute. Also, if they know they behavior is wrong and still commit the crime, unable to control there impulses, they are showing insanity and can be found not guilty. To be found not guilty one must prove he is insane and the Insanity Defense and Reform Act of 1984 was formed to help put this into motion. Guilty, but mentally ill means juries can find one guilty of committing a crime, while acknowledging they have a mental illness. The court decides how they receive treatment for the illness and when it is stabilized they must serve out the remaining sentence. In Not Guilty by reason of insanity, one is release from psychiatric treatment once they are no long considered dangerous.
