I'm proud of the way the court system has handled this case
Maria Send a noteboard - 23/06/2012 09:18:55 AM
He has been given a fair trial, he has had a competent team of defending lawyers and he has been given the same rights as any other person standing on trial.
It is (in his mind) in his best interest to be found sane, as that will (again, in his opinion) make him a martyr. If he is judged insane, he will just be another lunatic.
It must be said though that the juridical term "insane" is not the same as the medical one. It is not as if any one with a psychiatric diagnosis will avoid jail if found guilty of a serious crime. The juridical term requires the criminal deed to be an act of psychosis, or that the person committing the crime is severely mentally retarded.
What is special in this case is that he has been observed by two teams of "juridical psychiatrists", and those teams have come to different conclusions, one team diagnosing him with paranoid schizophrenia (which makes him insane in a juridical sense) and one team diagnosing him with personality disorder (which makes him sane in a juridical sense).
Maximum sentence is 21 years custody, which means that he can be held in jail indefinitely. Whatever his sentence will be, he will never be a free man again.
It is the defence's job to argue on his behalf. What is so strange about that?
You all remember the mass killing carried out in Norway by Anders Breivik, yes? This is the man that killed 69 people at a Labor Party youth camp last July. I was reading news about his trial and I had to rub my eyes to make sure I was reading it right. His defense, his defense, urged the court to consider him sane while the prosecution urged the court to consider him insane. The prosecution.
It is (in his mind) in his best interest to be found sane, as that will (again, in his opinion) make him a martyr. If he is judged insane, he will just be another lunatic.
It must be said though that the juridical term "insane" is not the same as the medical one. It is not as if any one with a psychiatric diagnosis will avoid jail if found guilty of a serious crime. The juridical term requires the criminal deed to be an act of psychosis, or that the person committing the crime is severely mentally retarded.
What is special in this case is that he has been observed by two teams of "juridical psychiatrists", and those teams have come to different conclusions, one team diagnosing him with paranoid schizophrenia (which makes him insane in a juridical sense) and one team diagnosing him with personality disorder (which makes him sane in a juridical sense).
What is this, bizarro world? Well, turns out that the maximum prison sentence in Norway is only 21 years, with early parole possible. And I assume that a person can be held more indefinitely at a psychiatric institution. But when have you ever heard of a defense urging sanity and the prosecution urging insanity? That seems very backwards to me.
Maximum sentence is 21 years custody, which means that he can be held in jail indefinitely. Whatever his sentence will be, he will never be a free man again.
(By the way, Breivik's defense wants him declared sane and acquitted because his actions were one of necessity. Can you believe that?)
It is the defence's job to argue on his behalf. What is so strange about that?
Maria
Little?
Me?
Far from it.
I am just large enough.
Fill myself completely
lengthwise and across
from top to bottom.
Are you larger than yourself maybe?
-Ingrid Hagerup-
Little?
Me?
Far from it.
I am just large enough.
Fill myself completely
lengthwise and across
from top to bottom.
Are you larger than yourself maybe?
-Ingrid Hagerup-
Umm...so is the bizarro world located in Norway?
- 22/06/2012 05:33:25 PM
526 Views
If the prosecution thinks the person is insane, then it should urge for insanity
- 22/06/2012 05:48:19 PM
374 Views
Yes; one of the most peaceful places on Earth was the site of the worst shooting rampage in history.
- 22/06/2012 08:57:34 PM
392 Views
Every time I see it mentioned on the news I wonder about the purpose of it
- 22/06/2012 11:57:17 PM
350 Views
I'm proud of the way the court system has handled this case
- 23/06/2012 09:18:55 AM
572 Views
Agreed. Norway's response has been a victory for civilisation against terrorism from start to finish
- 23/06/2012 10:03:29 AM
362 Views
It all seems sensible to me, and something for other justice systems to aspire towards.
- 23/06/2012 11:16:02 AM
363 Views