Although the insanity defense is numerically insignificant, it remains profoundly important to the criminal justice system as the focal point of the ongoing debate on the relationship between legal responsibility, free will, mental illness, and punishment. The insanity defense has substantially survived in spite of persistent philosophical and political criticism. Its history reflects a balance
The criminal trial is a formal process that is governed by the rules of criminal law, procedure, and evidence. Each jurisdiction in the United States has its own criminal trial procedure. However, criminal trials generally follow a similar process—one that is reflective of the adversarial nature of the court system, in which the defendant is
Federal criminal charges are accusations filed in federal court, by a federal grand jury or federal prosecutor, asserting that a particular person or entity has violated a federal law, which carries penal sanctions. Federal criminal charges are relatively rare as the vast majority of crimes in the United States are prosecuted under state law, in
Criminal profiling represents a technique wherein the behavioral features apparent in a crime or series of crimes are assessed for the purpose of formulating a template of descriptive features concerning the likely perpetrator of the crime or crimes. The technique is typically used to assist police personnel who are investigating crimes, often of an aberrant
Criminal law is a body of law that defines and grades crimes, and indicates corresponding punishments. These definitions and punishments are found in statutes and in criminal codes within each state, and within each country. Due to the dual system of government that obtains in the US, the federal government has its own criminal code
Criminal culpability refers to the degree to which individuals are held legally responsible for their conduct and distinguishes between those who are wholly or partially blameworthy and those who are blameless. Criminal culpability is tied to the proportionality principle, which dictates that the harshness of a punishment be commensurate with the severity of the crime.
This article discusses the concept and attribution of criminal responsibility, the differences between criminal responsibility and moral responsibility, theoretical skepticism about the fairness of holding people responsible for their criminal behavior, and excuses in criminal law. Murder, Manslaughter, Justification, and Excuse Assume that your next-door neighbor, 25-year-old Bonnie, has been found dead. The police rule
Offender risk assessment is the foundation of many interventions in the criminal justice system that affects public safety and the offender’s liberty. The risk of crime that the offender presents influences arrest and sentencing decisions, parole release, how closely the offender is supervised in the community or in prison, and even who receives treatment and
Predicting violence and criminal behavior is a particularly challenging endeavor for the criminal justice system and forensic mental health clinicians alike. Psychopathy, which is sometimes referred to as the psychopathic personality, is a psychological construct that has been extensively examined with respect to its utility to predict violence and crime. Psychopathy is a personality disorder
The European Revolution of 1848 (alternately known as the Spring of Nations or the Year of Revolution) brought about the emergence of INTERPOL. It is an international organization that monitors transnational crimes across the globe and facilitates international police cooperation. This article discusses the history of I NTERPOL, its structure, and its global role in