What are some interesting points I could talk about in my speech about the insanity defense? Can you....?

Question

think of a good "hook" sentence in the beginning. Thank you much. I love you guys!!

Answer 1

A "hook" is always a great beginning. I think the most interesting thing about the insanity defense is that a person can be certified insane but still not meet the standard for legal insanity. To be legally insane and use it as a defense, the defense has to be able to prove that the defendant didn't know that the act he was doing at the time the crime was committed was wrong. So, a person can still be insane and still know that killing the victim was wrong, thereby, he cannot get off using the insanity plea. Perhaps asking some situational questions about crazy people who committed a crime yet knew the act was wrong, might be a good hook or maybe you could demonstrate--act crazy, pretend to go after a member of your audience, and then explain that if you know it's wrong, you cannot use the defense. Good luck!

Answer 2

Hook 1 ?
The concept of defense by insanity has existed since ancient Greece and Rome. Edward II, under English Common law, declared that a person was insane if their mental capacity was no more than that of a "Wild Beast". The first complete transcript of an insanity trial dates to 1724.


Hook 2 ?
The insanity defense is based on the principle that punishment is only reasonable if the defendant is capable of distinguishing right and wrong. A defendant making this argument might be said to be pleading "not guilty by reason of insanity"

Hook 3 ?
Public perceptions are that the insanity defense occurs far more commonly than records indicate. In fact, the insanity defense is used in less than 1% of criminal proceedings and is successful in approximately one-quarter of those cases.


This is the reality of the insanity defense in America: difficult to plead, seldom used and almost never successful.

But in that small number of cases where it is successful, it is sometimes manipulated or abused in a way that often grabs headlines and captures the imagination of the public.
Since the insanity defense is utilized almost exclusively in murder cases (it is extremely rare in any other type of offense), the publicity it receives is far out of proportion to its use. It has become part of the promotional apparatus of high profile criminal cases in modern times.

Ultimately, only a jury can decide the issue of insanity, which in itself may be the most controversial aspect about the insanity defense. In other words, people who have no training in the field, rarely come into contact with the mentally ill and have a minimal understanding of the issues involved, make legal, long-lasting judgments that are frequently based on shifting criteria.

Or as U.S. journalist Bugs Baer (1886-1969) once wrote: “It’s impossible to tell where the law stops and justice begins!”

Answer 3

Treat your audience like a jury and present them with your defendant. You have to make the the jury sympathize with him (always a man, isn't it?) so ask them to put themselves in his place - you didn't know you did something wrong. You just didn't know. And now, you've been arrested, jailed, strip searched, and are now on trial. How would you feel? Now you have people saying you're crazy. Are you?
After your big, dramatic lawyer impersonation, go into your speech about the insanity defense.

Answer 4

Use the hook that you are going to defend the current president. You will rope in all the political types both dems and reps.

You can argue that Bush should be acquitted of (make up the name of a crime) because he can't distinguish right from wrong and has no ability to foresee the consequences of his actions.

If you are a neocon and don't like using Bush in this example feel free to use Clinton.

Answer 5

What if a person killed someone who they believed to be insane and was irrationally (yet obviously) threatening to kill THEM? Could their lawyer present on their behalf, an insanity defense?

Answer 6

Call me crazy, but...