antisocial activity, is maintained by social contexts and other aspects of the

Criminal insanity is a topic which sparks much heated debate. What causes

insanity? Is insanity a physical or psychological problem? Is insanity actually a disease,

or just a figment of a persons imagination? Groliers Encyclopedia describes insanity as

"a mental defect or disorder sufficient to prevent a person from knowing the difference

between right and wrong conduct or from understanding the nature of his or her actions."

This definition is one which would seem to be a good representation of what insanity

truly is. Insanity applies to criminals in an interesting way. If a criminal does not know

the difference between right and wrong then can they be held accountable for the crimes

they commit? If they don't understand that what they are doing is a crime then should

they be punished as if they were criminals or treated as patients with a disease? This

problem is one that has plagued courts, lawyers, juries and defendants for a long time and

does not appear to be any closer to a solution.

(Methvin, 35). It would appear that this is indeed the way they see other human beings.

the insanity plea when she says, "People who are too insane, retarded or mentally

biological ones ("Natural Born..." 10 ). Many other psychiatrists and doctors feel the

him is no more than child's play, like taking apart a clock to see what makes it tick"

trail for murder and other crimes. The insanity defense almost never works for criminals

found throughout history. One example is the infamous Charles Manson. Charles

impact on people. Often if a person feels segregated or excluded they will become very

suppress. These are the people who say that there is "an 'entity' within their

is actually a disorder or is controllable to a certain extent. Once this is determined, I feel

8 years old" ("Serial..."). These cases, as well as many others, seem to indicate a

Some common words found in the essay are:
Christine Stapleton, Dr Frazier, Sane Guilty, Groliers Encyclopedia, Dr Morrison, Holmes Mental, Helen Morrison, Dr Palermo, Serial Killers, Shervert Frazier, criminally insane, criminal insanity, insanity plea, able control, methvin 35, insanity insanity, serial killer, bypass techniques, charles manson, insanity plea people, york times, potential criminally insane, criminal insanity plea, natural born 10, criminal insanity insanity,
Approximate Word count = 2354
Approximate Pages = 9 (250 words per page double spaced)