TY - JOUR
T1 - Crime, psychiatry and the insanity defence
T2 - A report on some recent reforms in the United States
AU - Brakel, Samuel Jan
AU - Cavanaugh, James L.
PY - 1996/2
Y1 - 1996/2
N2 - There have been substantial developments in mental health law in the United States over the last 10-15 years. One focal point has been the insanity defence, discussed here. The operational consequences of the legal changes remain to be assessed empirically, but informed speculation is possible. Both a description of the reforms and the assessment of their potential effect are relevant to members of the psychiatric profession in Australia, whether they be forensic specialists or traditional practitioners or researchers. Selective consideration of the American experience, as opposed to contemplating wholesale transposition, is the appropriate posture for Australian policymakers.
AB - There have been substantial developments in mental health law in the United States over the last 10-15 years. One focal point has been the insanity defence, discussed here. The operational consequences of the legal changes remain to be assessed empirically, but informed speculation is possible. Both a description of the reforms and the assessment of their potential effect are relevant to members of the psychiatric profession in Australia, whether they be forensic specialists or traditional practitioners or researchers. Selective consideration of the American experience, as opposed to contemplating wholesale transposition, is the appropriate posture for Australian policymakers.
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0029979557&partnerID=8YFLogxK
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U2 - 10.3109/00048679609076083
DO - 10.3109/00048679609076083
M3 - Article
C2 - 8724336
AN - SCOPUS:0029979557
SN - 0004-8674
VL - 30
SP - 134
EP - 141
JO - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
JF - Australian and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry
IS - 1
ER -