The insanity defence without mental illness? Some considerations.
Criminal law
Discrimination
Insanity defence
Responsibility
Stigma
The mental illness clause
Journal
International journal of law and psychiatry
ISSN: 1873-6386
Titre abrégé: Int J Law Psychiatry
Pays: Netherlands
ID NLM: 7806862
Informations de publication
Date de publication:
Historique:
received:
10
03
2020
revised:
04
05
2020
accepted:
04
05
2020
entrez:
10
8
2020
pubmed:
10
8
2020
medline:
23
6
2021
Statut:
ppublish
Résumé
In this paper we aim to offer a balanced argument to motivate (re)thinking about the mental illness clause within the insanity defence. This is the clause that states that mental illness should have a relevant causal or explanatory role for the presence of the incapacities or limited capacities that are covered by this defence. We offer three main considerations showing the important legal and epistemological roles that the mental illness clause plays in the evaluation of legal responsibility. Although we acknowledge that these advantages could be preserved without having this clause explicitly stated in the law, we resist proposals that deny the importance of mental illness in exculpation. We argue, thus, that any attempt at removing the mental illness clause from legal formulations of the insanity defence should offer alternative ways of keeping in place these advantages.
Identifiants
pubmed: 32768100
pii: S0160-2527(20)30030-3
doi: 10.1016/j.ijlp.2020.101571
pii:
doi:
Types de publication
Journal Article
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Langues
eng
Sous-ensembles de citation
IM
Pagination
101571Informations de copyright
Copyright © 2020 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.