Manifest madness : mental incapacity in the criminal law

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autor principal: Loughnan, Arlie
Autor Corporativo: Oxford University Press
Lenguaje:English
Publicado: Oxford : Oxford University Press, 2012.
Edición:First edition.
Descripción Física:XXIV, 282 strony.
Colección:Oxford monographs on criminal law and justice
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Acceso en línea:Zobacz publikację w repozytorium Oxford University Press (Open Access)
Descripción:
Whether it is a question of the age below which a child cannot be held liable for their actions, or the attribution of responsibility to defendants with mental illnesses, mental incapacity is a central concern for legal actors, policy makers, and legislators when it comes to crime and justice. Understanding the terrain of mental incapacity in criminal law is notoriously difficult; it involves tracing overlapping and interlocking legal doctrines, current and past practices including those of evidence and proof, and also medical and social understanding of mental order and incapacity. Bringing together previously disparate discussions on criminal responsibility from law, psychology, and philosophy, this book provides a close study of mental incapacity defences, analysing their development through historical cases to the modern era. It maps the shifting boundaries between normality and abnormality as constructed in law, arguing that ‘manifest madness’ — the distinct character of mental incapacity revealed by this interdisciplinary approach — has a broad significance for understanding the criminal law as a whole.