Limit this search to....

Evil or Ill?: Justifying the Insanity Defence
Contributor(s): Reznek, Lawrie (Author)
ISBN: 0415167000     ISBN-13: 9780415167000
Publisher: Routledge
OUR PRICE:   $47.45  
Product Type: Paperback - Other Formats
Published: October 1997
Qty:
Annotation:

Was the serial killer Jeffrey Dahmer an evil man responsible for his murders? Or was he an innocent victim of a psychiatric illness?
"Evil or Ill?" is an ideal companion to the American rage of TV talk shows, true crime shows and Court TV--where law and crime meet with psychology. Lawrie Reznek explores the concept of an excuse and explains why our moral and legal systems contain the insanity defense. Reznek presents the intricate nature of the Jeffrey Dahmer insanity defense, and weaves examples of other mainstream court cases within a philosophical and psychiatric context.
Additional Information
BISAC Categories:
- Psychology | Psychopathology - General
- Law | Criminal Law - General
- Philosophy
Dewey: 345.04
LCCN: 97-11034
Series: Philosophical Issues in Science
Physical Information: 0.99" H x 5.49" W x 8.49" (1.10 lbs) 342 pages
 
Descriptions, Reviews, Etc.
Publisher Description:
Lawrie Reznek addresses these questions and more in his controversial investigation of the insanity defense in Evil or Ill? Drawing from countless intriguing case examples, he aims to understand the concept of an excuse, and explains why the law excuses certain actions and not others. In his easily accessible and elegant style, he explains that in law, there exists two excuses derived from Aristotle: the excuses of ignorance and compulsion. Reznek, however proposes a third excuse - the excuse of character change. In introducing this third excuse, Reznek raises a controversial possibility - the abolition of the insanity defence.