The insanity defense is a criminal defense used by a defendant to claim that they were not mentally competent at the time of the crime and could not understand the consequences of their actions. This plea acknowledges the defendant being present during the crime and admits to the action but argues that they lacked the mental capacity and culpability because of mental illness. My research will be on whether it is effective or not. Specifically, is it useful? Is it foolproof or can it be vulnerable to being misused? I will support my research with scientific texts, statistics, and scholarly articles. I plan to research the different tests that are given to determine whether the accused understood right from wrong and was aware of the nature of the crime. I also want to investigate people who have been acquitted by reason of insanity, investigate both their past and how they are today. Obstacles that I may run into could be lack of recent studies or little information on those who have successfully used the defense.  

I am interested in this topic because I find it fascinating the number of people who cannot seem to afford healthcare and are not able to be treated nonetheless diagnosed. The way that I see it, our government worries little about making sure that everyone has access to these things and that these people undergo treatment before it escalates. Instead, they just have a solution put into place which consists of locking them into a medical facility when it could have been prevented if the right resources were given. It is irresponsible and it not only goes against the basic right of being able to be treated and having proper healthcare, but it goes against other citizens. When they make these people live their lives without help, they are automatically a threat to our society. Everyone should be concerned about this topic because it puts us and our family and friends directly in danger.