NCJ Number
86726
Journal
Medicine Science and the Law Volume: 23 Issue: 1 Dated: (January 1983) Pages: 17-24
Date Published
1983
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article discusses the rationale and traditional uses of the diminished responsibility plea in England, and analyzes its rejection by the court in the Sutcliffe case, in which the defendant pleaded guilty to attempted murder of 7 women and not guilty to the murder of 13 others.
Abstract
The review of the trial is based on media coverage of the event and considers legal, psychiatric, and social aspects of the case. Specifically discussed are the role of psychiatrists and the constraints under which they present expert opinion in court, the nature of schizophrenia, the relationship of schizophrenia and crime, and the absence of detailed social background information about the defendant to augment the data upon which decisions were made. Some possibilities of reform of the diminished responsibility provision are mentioned in conclusion. Tabular data, footnotes, and 27 references are given.