1. History of the insanity defense
What is the insanity defense?
Why is there an insanity defense?
What historical changes have taken place in the insanity defense?
How often is the insanity defense used?
How often is the insanity defense successful?
What determines whether the insanity defense will be successful?
What are some well-known cases where the insanity defense has succeeded?
What are some well-known cases where the insanity defense has failed?
Which states do not have an insanity defense and why not?
What happens in states where there is no insanity test?
What is irresistible impulse?
What is temporary insanity?
What is an affirmative defense?
Who should have the burden of proof of insanity?
How is the insanity defense related to diminished capacity?
What is competence to stand trial?
What is the relation between competence to stand trail and the insanity defense?
What does the American Psychological Association conclude concerning the insanity defense?
What does the American Psychiatric Association conclude concerning the insanity defense?
What does the American Medical Association conclude concerning the insanity defense?
What does the American Bar Association conclude concerning the insanity defense?
2. Psychological aspects of the insanity defense
Is insanity a psychological concept?
Is insanity the same as mental illness?
What types of mental illnesses does the American Psychiatric Association consider for an insanity defense?
Is insanity the same as psychosis?
What is the relation between psychopathology and psychosis?
How do the various diagnoses in the official Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fit with the insanity defense?
What characteristics of schizophrenia make it suitable or not for an insanity defense?
What characteristics of mood disorders and of anxiety disorders make them suitable or not for an insanity defense?
What characteristics of dissociative disorders make them suitable or not for an insanity defense?
What characteristics of sexual or somatoform disorders make them suitable or not for an insanity defense?
What characteristics of posttraumatic stress disorder make it suitable or not for an insanity defense?
What characteristics of retardation make it suitable or not for an insanity defense?
If an individual is not insane, what mental disorders might make that individual less than fully responsible for acts?
Can one prove that someone is sane?
How is brain science used in insanity defense cases?
How are psychoanalytic theories used in insanity defense cases?
How can malingering be assessed?
How often do defendants malinger?
Why have psychological explanations for behavior dominated in the legal system as opposed to economic or racial or cultural or other explanations?
How can the legal assumption of free will and full criminal responsibility be compatible with the psychological assumption of determinism and lessened or no criminal responsibility?
Does the insanity defense contribute to the stigmatization of the mentally ill?
Are religious fundamentalists mentally ill?
Should religious fundamentalists have an insanity defense available?
Are terrorists mentally ill?
Should terrorists have an insanity defense available?
How is brainwashing related to insanity?
3. Effects of different standards of determining insanity
What are the primary tests of insanity?
What is the M'Naghten test?
What is the American Law Institute test?
What is the guilty but mentally ill verdict?
4. Arguments for retention, abolition, and revision of the insanity defense
What are the arguments for retaining the insanity defense?
What are the arguments for abolishing the insanity defense?
What are the arguments for reforming the insanity defense?
5. Media and other responses to the insanity defense
Why does the public react to someone's causing terrible harm by saying the perpetrator must have been crazy?
Given how seldom it is used, how and why has the insanity defense occupied such a prominent position in the interaction between psychology and the law?
What do jurors think of the insanity defense?
What does the public think of the insanity defense?
How serious are most of the charges in insanity defense cases?
Why does the public have the idea that the charges are usually very serious?
Who are the most significant expert witnesses on the insanity defense and what are their views?
What is the argument for the view of the myth of mental illness?
What is meant by the abuse excuse?
What predictions are made concerning the future of the insanity defense?
How has the insanity defense been portrayed in film?
How has the insanity defense been portrayed in fiction?
How has the insanity defense been portrayed in non-fiction?
6. Controversies surrounding pre- and post-conviction commitment
What happens to individuals found not guilty by reason of insanity?
What shifts have taken place in the placement of individuals found not guilty by reason of insanity?
Should a person found not guilty by reason of insanity be automatically committed to a mental hospital?
Why would someone found not guilty by reason of insanity be evaluated as if he were simply a civilly committed individual?
If the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior, why would not a person found not guilty of a very serious act due to insanity be committed for a long time as a precaution?
What should the consequence be for an individual who has been advised to take antipsychotic medication, who has taken it and the discontinued it, and subsequently commits a serious act?
Should a person who was sane at the time of the crime and sentenced to death but who becomes insane be executed while insane?
Should a lawyer be able to prevent forcing a psychotic client to take medication in order to preserve, for the jury, the state of mind in which that person committed acts for which he is charged?
7. Roles of psychologists and lawyers in defining, implementing, and questioning the insanity defense
What is the reasoning behind allowing psychoforensic expert witnesses to testify?
What are the reasons for not allowing psychoforensic experts to testify?
How can the problems with psychoforensic expert witnesses be addressed?
Are some experts known as pro-prosecution experts and others knows as pro-defense experts?
Do experts ever defy expectations?
Why does the public assume that the court-appointed psychoforensic expert will be the most unbiased and accurate?
Should forensic psychologists and psychiatrists testify as to insanity or only as to mental illness?
To what extent should a psychoforensic expert be a detective?
Can psychologists and psychiatrists tell accurately who is malingering or faking?
How successful are psychologists and psychiatrists in predicting future dangerousness?
What strategic and what tactical moves do prosecutors use in insanity defense cases?
What strategic and what tactical moves do defense counsel use in insanity defense cases?
How important is the lawyer's advocacy to the success of the insanity defense?
On what do prosecutors and defense counsel agree concerning the insanity defense?
On what do psychologists and psychiatrists agree concerning the insanity defense?
how important is the judge's attitude toward the insanity defense?
How important are jurors' attitudes toward the insanity defense?
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