Even crazy people engage in criminal acts for criminal, rather than crazy, reasons.

So, you admit. It's crazy...:)

To me, if I pondered killing my entire family, I would deem myself crazy. I would send myself away to a hospital.

That is not included in my personal view of good mental health.

Diane Downs...

People who are truly crazy aren't responsible for their actions, don't understand right/wrong. Personally, I don't want to see "crazy" people getting away with murder just because they fit C'mans definition of nuts.

Ranting that someone who has murdered their kids is crazy reminds me of Chris Rock ranting about niggers... "I take care of my kids..."

I don't think I want to see them get away with it either. Not only do you have to be crazy, you have to be an asshole. Yes, that is my professional opinion. lol!

I mean- didn't you guys see, "the shining?" ;) What an asshole.

At what point did I say that I thought they should get away with it due to their insanity? I don't feel that is a valid excuse at all, quite the opposite in fact - especially for murdering someone.

lol...yeah. What a jerk!

HA! :D I beg to differ. [/sarc] :D

I don't buy that for one minute. They are completely responsible. They just have to pay for their errors differently.

Wolf pointed out that you don't have to be insane to kill your family and you disagreed.

Pointing out that someone who kills their children/family is fucked in the head is stating the obvious. Calling them insane suggests that they are not legally responsible for their actions, not competent to stand trail etc.. Refusing to accept that truly insane people exist and sometimes commit criminal acts without intending to is like saying that people with depression just need to cheer up.

Perhaps that is your analogy perhaps, not mine.

Anyone who kills their own family has to have something wrong in the top paddock. Whether it's that they're 'clinically insane' or have some other kind of permanent or temporary mental issue doesn't make much difference.

When they're charged with the crime, it's up to the prosecution to prove them guilty of it. It's up to the defense to explain what sort of 'insanity' overtook them at the time of the crime.

After that it's up to the jury.

Beg away. I get off on that.

One of my first, very memorable, patients was a guy who had killed his family. Young adult, early 20s, first schizophrenic break.

This dude was crazy, crazy. Seriously so. He had been telling his family for weeks that he knew they had been replaced by demons. IIRC, he let them know what he intended to do about this.

The family had the opportunity to get him committed. They did not do so.

He murdered both of his parents and seriously injured his brother. The brother somehow managed to make it out of the house and get to a neighbor's who called the police.

The police or the prison ultimately did the commitment papers.

He did not know what he was doing.

That's the kind of case that Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity is made for. He is still hospitalized (not at my hospital. We don't do long term like that). He is still psychotic, even with medications. He will likely never be released from the hospital.

I know another guy, about the same age, maybe younger. His mom was a really nice lady. Had to come in every couple of months and get him committed because he'd be threatening her. So ... one day, when he wasn't psychotic, they had some kind of an argument. I think it may have been over a videogame of some kind.

He killed her, stabbing her 17 or more times, concealed the body, and was only found out because about a week later he was seen by a relative driving her car around town, and the relative knew he wasn't allowed to drive the car. He knew what he was doing, and tried to cover up his crime. Insanity defense wasn't even considered.

Natural progression...next stop, stabbing:

He is an adult - move his shit out on the lawn.