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July 27, 2006
To Accept or Reject the Defense? That is the Question!
Five years ago, Andrea Yates killed all five of her children by drowning them in a bathtub. Yesterday, a Texas jury refused to convict her of murdering her kids, finding her not guilty by reason of insanity instead. I fully accept that Yates was crazier than a European soccer fan during the World Cup when she killed her children. But I question whether the insanity defense has worn out its welcome in American jurisprudence. Will society truly be better served by housing Yates in a loony bin for an indefinite period of time than it would be by throwing her in prison for the rest of her life? I don't think so.
Comments
Will society truly be better served by housing Yates in a loony bin for an indefinite period of time than it would be by throwing her in prison for the rest of her life? I don't think so.
Before you ask that question, you have to wonder how effective either option would be, and whether Andrea Yates will be forgotten in each system the way I'd forgotten about her five years ago.
My opinion on this issue may not matter, though. My first thought when I read today's article was "Why can't they leave these verdicts well enough alone?" Crazy constitutional appeals process.
Posted by: Neel Mehta at July 27, 2006 02:06 AM
Maybe that horrid woman will just auf wiedersehen herself and just go away...
Posted by: LisaBinDaCity at July 27, 2006 09:39 AM
Yates and her husband should both get the chair.
Posted by: Finished.Law.School at July 27, 2006 12:08 PM
If we were to execute all the folks in this country that were bat-shit crazy, who the hell would run our nations most prestigious law firms?
Posted by: Jason C at July 27, 2006 02:42 PM
What best serves society is certainly a consideration, but the other side of our judicial system is supposed to be a fair and just result for the defendant as well. If she truly is mentally ill to the point of not comprehending what she was doing, isn't treatment the better result rather than straight punishment. The question of the level of treatment our system is able to provide is a whole other question. . .
Posted by: la lawyer at July 27, 2006 05:24 PM
la lawyer, I agree that the truly mentally ill should be treated, but given that we don't seem to commit enough funds to treat them, is there really a point for the insanity defense at this point?
Posted by: Fool at July 27, 2006 07:16 PM
