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The Insanity Defense: Problems and Prospects for Studying the Impact of Legal Reforms

JOSEPH P. MORRISSEY

Cries for reform of insanity defense statutes are often associated with notorious cases involving heinous offenses. In fact, little research exists on the reforms sparked by such cases. Reforms initiated without data on their likely impacts may lead to illusory or unintended results. A strategy to assess such changes, and any other type of insanity defense reform, is articulated in this article. This approach is substantially different from the approaches of any published reports. It rests upon a multistate scope, a systemic focus, an assessment of impacts on the entire criminal process, and a longitudinal data base. Some of the impediments to implementing such research designs and ways by which they can be overcome are discussed.

The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, Vol. 484, No. 1, 115-126 (1986)
DOI: 10.1177/0002716286484001009


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