Psychiatric Aspects of Justification, Excuse and Mitigation in Anglo-American Criminal Law (Forensic Focus, 17)

161 Pages·2000·0.68 MB·English

by  Alec Buchanan

Psychiatric Aspects of Justification, Excuse
and Mitigation in Anglo-American Criminal Law
Forensic Focus
Thisseries,editedbyGwenAdshead,takesthefieldofForensicPsychotherapyasits
focalpoint,offeringaforumforthepresentationoftheoreticalandclinicalissues.Italso
embraces such influential neighbouring disciplines as language, law, literature,
criminology,ethicsandphilosophy,aswellaspsychiatryandpsychology,itsestablished
progenitors.
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Crime, Psychodynamics and the Offender Patient
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ISBN 1 85302 634 4 pb
ISBN 1 85302 240 3 slipcased 2 vol hb
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Edited by Estela V. Welldon and Cleo Van Velsen
Forensic Focus 3
ISBN 1 85302 389 2
Remorse and Reparation
Edited by Murray Cox
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Pre and Post Admission Assessment
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and Through Release in the Community
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Forensic Focus 17
Psychiatric Aspects of
Justification, Excuse and
Mitigation in Anglo-American
Criminal Law
Alec Buchanan
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
London and Philadelphia
All rights reserved. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced in any material form
(including photocopying or storing it in any medium by electronic means and whether or
not transiently or incidentally to some other use ofthis publication) without the written
permission ofthe copyright owner except in accordance with the provisions ofthe
Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 or under the terms ofa licence issued by the
Copyright Licensing Agency Ltd, 90 Tottenham Court Road, London, England W1T 4LP.
Applications for the copyright owner’s written permission to reproduce any part ofthis
publication should be addressed to the publisher.
The right ofAlec Buchanan to be identified as author ofthis work has been asserted by him
in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This edition published in the United Kingdom in 2000 by
Jessica Kingsley Publishers
116PentonvilleRoad
London N1 9JB, UK
and
400 Market Street, Suite 400
Philadelphia, PA 19106, USA
www.jkp.com
Copyright © Alec Buchanan 2000
Library ofCongressCataloging-in-Publication Data
Buchanan, Alec.
Psychiatric aspects ofjustification, excuse, and mitigation : the jurisprudence of
mental abnormality in Anglo-American criminal law / Alec Buchanan.
p. cm. -- (Forensic focus ; 17)
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 1-85302-797-9 (pb : alk. paper)
1. Insanity--Jurisprudence--United States. 2. Insanity--Jurisprudence--Great
Britain. I. Title. II. Series.
KF9242.B83 1999
345.73’04--dc21 99-042862
British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data
Buchanan, Alec.
Psychiatric aspects ofjustification, excuse, and mitigation : the jurisprudence of
mental abnormality in Anglo-American criminal law. - (Forensic focus ; 17)
1. Insanity - Jurisprudence - England 2. Insanity - Jurisprudence - United States 4.
Forensic psychiatry 5. Justification (Law) 6. Extenuating circumstances
I. Title
345’.04
ISBN 1853027979
ISBN-13: 987 1 85302 797 0
ISBN-10: 1 85302 797 9
ISBN pdfeBook: 1 84642 005 9
Printed and Bound in Great Britain by
Athenaeum Press, Gateshead,Tyneand Wear
Contents
preface and acknowledgements 9
1. Preliminaries 11
2. The Theory of Justification and Excuse 22
3. Psychiatric Aspects of Mitigation 43
4. How Can Mental States Excuse? 63
5. What Does the Law Allow to Excuse? 84
6. Drawbacks of the Present Provision 108
7. Alternatives to the Present Provision 121
8. Summary 133
cases cited 135
references 139
subject index 151
author index 157

To Teresa Anne

Preface and Acknowledgements
Iarguehereforcertainprinciplesagainstwhichtheadequacyofthecriminallaw’s
treatment of mentally abnormal offenders should be judged and for some
alternativestocurrentprovision.Theargumentdrawsonmaterialfromarangeof
sources including philosophy, criminology, the law and psychology as well as
psychiatry. I have notattemptedtoprovide a comprehensive descriptionof the
law; this has already been done, mostnotably inEngland by Professor Ronnie
MacKay. Nor have I sought to provide detailed reviews of the other specialist
areasuponwhichIhavetouched.Ihopethat,asaresult,thetrailoftheargument
remains visible.
The book is a development of work which I undertook at the Institute of
CriminologyinCambridgewhileinreceiptofatrainingfellowshipfundedbythe
SpecialHospitalsServiceAuthority.Iamindebtedtothelibrarian,HelenKrarup,
andtheInstitutestaff.ProfessorJohnSpencer,MrGrahamVirgoandProfessor
Tony Smith read and commented upon earlier versions of the manuscript. My
thanks are due also to Professor John Gunn of the Department of Forensic
Psychiatry at the Institute of Psychiatry and Dr Paul Bowden of the Maudsley
Hospital. Dr Gwen Adshead encouraged my interest in this area soon after I
started to train as a psychiatrist.
Professor Nigel Walker supervised my work in Cambridge, was a constant
sourceofsupportandconstructivecriticismandencouragedmetothink.Mineis
theresponsibility,criminalorotherwise,forerrorsandinfelicitiescausedbymy
failing to do so.
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