PSY 034 Lecture Notes - Lecture 23: Parens Patriae, Insanity Defense, Mens Rea
21 Jun 2020
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Civil commitment laws- detail when a person can be legally declared to have a mental illness and should be in a hospital for treatment. Parens patriae- when citizens are not likely to act in their own best interest. Mental illness- meaning severe emotional or thought disturbances that negatively affect life. Transinstitutionalization- movement of people with mental illnesses to smaller group residences. Criminal commitment- legal procedure by which a person found not guilty of a crime by reason of insanity must be confined in a psychiatric hospital. The m"naghten rule led to what is now the insanity defense. M"naghten rule- person could not determine between right and wrong during crime. Diminished capacity- people"s ability to understand the nature of their behavior and therefore their criminal intent can be diminished by their mental illness. Mens rea- theory of criminal intent ( guilty mind ) Ngri= not guilty by reason of insanity.
