Insanity Defense: A Criminology Examination

Running Head: CRIMINOLOGY 0
Criminology
Student’s Name
10/10/2018

CRIMINOLOGY
Contents
Thesis Statement..............................................................................................................................2
Introduction......................................................................................................................................2
What is Insanity?.............................................................................................................................3
Relationship of insanity and Psychopathy.......................................................................................4
Criminological theories related to mental health.............................................................................4
What is Insanity Defense.................................................................................................................7
Insanity Defense: A Criminology Examination..............................................................................8
Conclusion.....................................................................................................................................12
References......................................................................................................................................13

CRIMINOLOGY
Thesis Statement
Thesis statement for the assignment is insanity defense: A criminological Examination.
Introduction
The topic of the assignment is focused on issues named mental illness and disorder and their
relation with the crime with the perspective of defense. The association between these factors has
been the lead focus for many decades (Stevens, 2013). Behind every crime, there are certain
reasons, which work as lead force and promote a criminal to commit such crime. These reasons
are often known as theories of criminology (Briggs, 2018). In the presented assignment, many
criminological theories will also be discussed. Mental illness and disorders are other aspects in
the area of criminology. These aspects are a topic of debate because in many of the cases judges
do allows the same as defense and many times, they do not do so. The center of the debate is to
check that how important insanity defense is for the criminals who commit crime cause of
mental illness or related criminological theories.
There is a strong relationship between mental disorder and criminal law and the criminological
theories develop such relation (Maillet, 2018). The justice processes in criminal cases are far
clear but the same gets complicated when a defendant of a case diagnosed with mental disorder
or insanity. Such issues among defendants affect the whole justice process from investigation till
the final justice.
In the assignment further, many of the criminological theories will be discussed that put a
significant impact on the offending and reoffending of a criminal and affect their mental health
in various modes. The study of mental disorder and insanity is also important for the reason to

CRIMINOLOGY
check the intention of the criminal. The intention is a significant term for the judges to give a
decision under criminal cases.
In addition to mental disorder, some other forces are also there cause of which a person commits
the crime. These causes reflect by the different criminological theories (Criminal Justice, 2018).
The assignment will include the different criminological theories, their relationship with insanity
and examination of the insanity defense.
What is Insanity?
Before moving ahead with any order discussion, firstly this is necessary to understand that what
exactly insanity is? In a general sense, this may be stated that insanity is a mental state in which a
person does not remain an understanding one any longer. The brain is the element, that gives
instructions to the human body, but when a person is insane, he/she cannot think like a
reasonable person. There is no worldwide-accepted definition of insanity. In the opinion of
doctors, insanity is a wider term in comparison to what a legal system includes. It is a situation
where a person does not know that what actually he/she is doing and what results their action can
lead (Howes, 2009). The mental illness and disorder is not a limited term and included many of
the diseases (Namica.org, 2018). Insanity is also known as mental disorders. It is a mental status
brings several disturbances in the behavior as well as in thought process of a person that makes
him/her incapable to cope up with the ordinary routines and demands of life. This would not be
wrong to state that insanity leads out an innocence behavior in a person, as the same cannot plan
anything intentionally. According to the age and surrounding of a person, there can be several
reasons behind the development of an insanity issue to a person.