Self-Made Madness: Rethinking Illness and Criminal Responsibility - Hardcover

Mitchell, Edward W.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0754623327 ISBN 13: 9780754623328

Publisher: Routledge, 2003

Synopsis

This multi-disciplinary book lies in the general areas of forensic psychiatry/psychology, sociology, jurisprudence, criminal law and criminology. It questions traditional assumptions about illness and mental disorder, and deals with the controversial notion that mental disorders (and possibly other 'illnesses') may be to varying extents the fault of the 'sufferer'. It examines how the law can take into account such 'culpable' notions of mental disorder in determining criminal responsibility. This culpability for the defense-causing condition (or 'responsibility for level of criminal responsibility') is called 'meta-responsibility'. The book is divided into two parts. The first section discusses theoretical issues, such as the manner in which traditional illness models relate to meta-responsibility; the insanity defence and other mental condition defences; the relationship of clinical issues such as medication non-compliance and insight to meta-responsibility and the counterfactual notion that consideration of the possible voluntary origins of mental disorder may benefit the criminal and non-criminal mentally disordered. The second section of the book presents a case vignette experiment of mock jurors, examining the effect of a 'meta-responsibility insanity test'.

About this title

About the Author

Dr. Edward W. Mitchell is an Associate at the Centre for Criminological Research and Probation Studies Unit, University of Oxford and a Junior Research Fellow at Pembroke College, Oxford. He has a first degree in experimental psychology and a masters and doctorate in criminology from Cambridge. He was also a fellow at Harvard.

Review

'Mitchell deserves credit for bringing a neglected topic to our consideration.' Metapsychology Online Book Reviews 'The book is well-written and the width and range of literary references perinent and entertaining, ranging...The argument is ingenious.' Justice of the Peace

About this edition

• Publisher: Routledge
• Publication date: 2003
• ISBN 10: 0754623327
• ISBN 13: 9780754623328
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 272