Exploring The Insanity Plea In Arkansas
Can someone really claim their mental instability caused significant harm to others around them in the court of law? Yes, they can. But it’s not a “get out of jail” free card for someone who thinks they can bamboozle the courtroom by pleading insanity. Research suggests that only 1% of criminal cases attempted to plead Not Guilty By Reason Of Insanity (NGRI). Of those cases, about 25% were found NGRI, which means very few people succeed with this defense.
Arkansas, along with the majority of the United States, allow defendants to plead NGRI. We'll explore the rigorous psychological standards and example cases for making an insanity plea in the courtroom.
How Does The Court Measure Insanity?
There are four common measures used across U.S. courtrooms to determine the sanity of the defendant: the Durham Rule, Irresistible Impulse Test, Model Penal Code Test, and the M’Naugten Rule.
Essentially, these measures help determine an individual’s mental capacity. Did their mental illness contribute to their actions, and if so, to what extent? Was the individual capable of understanding their actions and controlling their behavior? Or were they completely incapacitated by their disorder?
These are the questions for a professional licensed psychologist or psychiatrist, who will perform a clinical evaluation of the individual to determine the presence of severe mental illness.
defendant must notify the prosecutor and courts of their “insanity” ahead of the trial. Any delay could mean additional time for the prosecution to prepare for trial. The court will order an evaluation by a licensed psychologist, and an expert witness will be used to explain the evaluation results.
Infamous Insanity Pleas
When you think “not guilty by reason of insanity” (NGRI), perhaps a specific court case comes to mind. With as little as 1% of felony cases pleading insanity, the rare circumstances can create a media frenzy where it feels like everyone is waiting for the verdict.
Andrea Yates
In the early 2000s, a Texas mother named Andrea Yates drowned her five children in the family bathtub. Originally, Yates was convicted of murder and sentenced to life in prison after pleading insanity — the judge and jury did not believe the defense’s attempt to plead insanity.
Legal commentary surrounding the original case left experts questioning the verdict; there was evidence that Yates was struggling from mental illness, including severe postpartum depression. After an appeal, the case went back to trial in 2006, where Andrea was found NGRI. She remains institutionalized in psychiatric care today.
Cody Metzker-Madison
Cody Metzker-Madison was a foster child with a tumultuous history of hospitalizations due to mental illness. At 17, he killed his 5 year old foster brother, stating that he believed he was fighting a goblin.
Metzker-Madison was issued a NGRI verdict by an Iowa judge in 2014 and sent to a psychiatric facility. He currently remains there, with his case being reviewed for progress every 2 years.
John Hinckley Jr.
The man who attempted to assassinate Ronald Reagan was declared not guilty by reason of insanity in 1982. In perhaps the most infamous case of NGRI, John Hinckley Jr. deeply identified with the movie Taxi Driver, so much so, he attempted to assassinate a political figure to win the heart of actress Jodie Foster.
Investigators found that Hinckley had been stalking Foster while she attended university and President Jimmy Carter during his campaign re-election rallies. As his obsession grew, he became desperate for Foster to notice him, and set out to murder President Reagan in 1981. In a love letter addressed to Jodie written on the day of the assassination attempt, Hinckley Jr. wrote that his actions were an attempt for Foster to notice him.
Hinckley Jr. was released from a psychiatric institution after successful treatment in 2016. He is no longer considered a danger to the public.
When In Doubt, Consult A Legal Professional
Not guilty by reason of insanity, while rarely seen in the court of law, can be used when applicable. If mental illness severely impacts an individual’s free will, the court will be left to decide if they need long-term psychiatric treatment or a prison sentence.
This is not a trial to face alone, especially if one party has claimed insanity was a motive for their actions. If you have legal questions or concerns about an upcoming Arkansas court case, contact Hickey & Hull Law Offices at (479) 434-2414. Things are about to get better when you have Hickey & Hull attorneys on your side.