Insanity Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Insanity - Essay Example Known as the â€Å"Son of Sam†, Berkowitz killed six people and wounded seven others (Reamer, 11). Berkowitz believed his neighbors dog was giving him orders to kill. Although, Berkowitz heard voices and technically qualified for the insanity defense, he pleaded guilty without a trial. Some have speculated the Berkowitz was schizophrenic, but the vigilante atmosphere in New York did not make his prospects during a trial look good. The reason that Berkowitz could have successfully used the Insanity Defense was his belief that the neighbor Sam Carrs dog was ordering him to kill. Apparently the constant barking convinced Berkowitz that to stop the barking he had to kill. Since, Sam Carr was ordering his dog to speak messages to Berkowitz, Berkowitz thought his actions were right at the time of the murder. Today, David Berkowitz realizes that his actions were wrong. However, that is not the standard for the Insanity Defense. The defendant has to believe what they are doing is not wrong at the time of the crime. When a defendant hears voices commanding them to commit crimes, generally they are not guilty by the reason of insanity. In American justice, sometimes a zealous prosecution or public opinion can ignore this fact. A case of an unsuccessful Insanity Defense is the Jeffrey Dahmer. Jeffrey Dahmer killed seventeen boys over a thirteen year period. There is no doubt that Jeffrey Dahmer was mentally ill. His feelings of shame about his homosexuality mixed with his parents divorce caused him to act out and drink excessively. Dahmers fear of abandonment led him to kill and experiment with making his lovers zombies. This was because of his fear of abandonment. He wanted love so bad, the need to keep his victims was a stronger urge than he could bear. Dahmer pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but was found guilty. He was sentenced to life, but