In the last post, I looked at what it actually means for a defendant to be found “not guilty by reason of insanity”—what the plea does, what it does not do, and how courts think about responsibility when serious mental illness is involved. Here, I want to step back and trace how the legal testsContinueContinue reading “From M’Naghten to Hinckley: How American Courts Rewrote the Insanity Plea”
Category Archives: Forensic Psychology
The Insanity Plea: What It Really Means to Be ‘Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity’
The Rojas Case: Ill or Evil? It was a morning like any other in Times Square: the sidewalks thick with commuters and tourists, the usual weekday rush flowing past the storefronts and billboards. Then, without warning, a burgundy Honda jumped the curb. People screamed and scattered. Some saw bodies thrown onto the hood and windshield;ContinueContinue reading “The Insanity Plea: What It Really Means to Be ‘Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity’”
When a Seizure Looks Like Assault: Postictal Violence and Criminal Responsibility
The case that landed on my desk The case that landed on my desk seemed straightforward at first glance. A 26‑year‑old college graduate and former Marine had broken an emergency medical technician’s nose with a single punch after she responded to a late‑night call at his home. A few familiar scenarios came to mind: anContinueContinue reading “When a Seizure Looks Like Assault: Postictal Violence and Criminal Responsibility”
Adventures in Forensic Psychology: Continuing Education, Pseudoscience, and the CEU Shell Game
January Again: The Biennial Panic It’s January, and it is already time for me to start making belated plans for fulfilling my continuing education requirements. I’m not sure what’s wrong with me, but this happens every two years. I put it off and put it off month after month until I really have to hustleContinueContinue reading “Adventures in Forensic Psychology: Continuing Education, Pseudoscience, and the CEU Shell Game”
Adventures in Forensic Psychology: Competence to Stand Trial
Whenever people ask me what I do for a living, and I say that I’m a forensic psychologist, I generally get some version of “Oh, that must be so cool!” I get it; the only exposure most people have to the professions is what they see on “L.A. Law” or “CSI.” Generally, they see aContinueContinue reading “Adventures in Forensic Psychology: Competence to Stand Trial”
Samurai Shrink (formally Wandering Shrink) 