Bibliograph

Nobody's child, a tragedy, a trial, and a history of the insanity defense, Susan Vinocour

Type

Label

Nobody's child, a tragedy, a trial, and a history of the insanity defense, Susan Vinocour

Language

eng

Bibliography note

Includes bibliographical references and index

Index

index present

Literary Form

non fiction

Main title

Nobody's child

Nature of contents

bibliography

Oclc number

1144497543

Responsibility statement

Susan Vinocour

Sub title

a tragedy, a trial, and a history of the insanity defense

Summary

"A powerful and humane exploration of the "insanity defense," through one heartbreaking case. A three-year-old boy dies, having apparently fallen while trying to reach a bag of sugar on a high shelf. His grandmother stands accused of second-degree murder. Psychologist Susan Nordin Vinocour agrees to evaluate the defendant, to determine whether the impoverished and mentally ill woman is competent to stand trial. Vinocour soon finds herself pulled headlong into a series of difficult questions, beginning with: Was the defendant legally insane on the night in question? As she wades deeper into the story, Vinocour traces the legal definition of insanity back nearly two hundred years, when our understanding of the human mind was in its infancy. "Competency" and "insanity," she explains, are creatures of legal definition, not psychiatric reality, and in criminal law, "insanity" has become a luxury of the rich and white. With passion, clarity, and heart, Vinocour examines the troubling intersection of mental health issues and the law"--, Provided by publisher

Table Of Contents

The Crime -- The Trial -- The Punishment

Classification