The negligible effects of California's 1982 reform of the insanity defense test.
OBJECTIVE
The authors' goal was to determine whether changing the insanity test in California in 1982 actually affected use of the insanity defense.


METHODS
They gathered information on all individuals who entered the insanity plea (N = 1,300) and all those acquitted by reason of insanity (N = 665) in seven counties in California 3 years before and 3 years after the change in the test of insanity. They focused on whether California's revision of the insanity test affected the number and rate of insanity pleas, the number and rate of insanity acquittals, the characteristics of individuals using the defense, the target offenses, and the length of stay of insanity acquittees.


RESULTS
The reform did not affect the rate of insanity pleas or acquittals, the characteristics of those using the defense, or their length of confinement.


CONCLUSIONS
Although the reform had no direct effects on the use of the insanity defense, the authors hypothesize that an indirect change in criminal sentencing practices led to a decrease in the number and rate of insanity pleas and acquittals.
McGreevy
M A
MA
Policy Research Associates, Delmar, NY 12054.
Steadman
H J
HJ
Callahan
L A
LA
D002140:California; D003415:Crime / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D003416:Criminal Law / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007298:Insanity Defense / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008297:Male; D001523:Mental Disorders / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy; D012044:Regression Analysis